


Frequencies and Currents

by fairyleaf



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Enemies, F/M, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyleaf/pseuds/fairyleaf
Summary: At age fifteen, Sarah unwittingly made a deal with the devil to save Toby with no knowledge of the terms. Six years later, Jareth is ensuring Sarah makes good on her promise, and he will claim what he is owed, even if he has to reorder time and move the stars.
Relationships: Jareth/Sarah Williams
Comments: 23
Kudos: 58





	1. Magnets

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Greetings! This is a repost from my FF.net account, and I figured I would give AO3 a try. This story will be updated once a week, most likely every Wednesday, until it is up to speed with FF.net (eight chapters are already posted there). After that, I will try to keep updates on the more regular side, but real life always has its own agenda. That being said, I hope you take a chance on this story and feel free to share your thoughts, comments, critiques - they're all appreciated.

**Frequencies and Currents**

**Chapter One**

**Magnets**

Sarah stared at the ethereal being before her, dumbfounded.

She had uttered the magic, all-powerful words… " _You have no power over me_ "…and yet, there he was, standing upright with a smug, knowing look on his face. Sarah swallowed a lump in her throat, unsure of what to do next but unwilling to give him the satisfaction.

The sudden bark of laughter from Jareth suggested she hadn't fooled him for a second.

It was humbling and maddening all at the same time to realize she truly was her fifteen years of age, no more wiser than she had always given herself credit for. Perhaps the chip on her shoulder had been much bigger than she thought.

The initial wave of horror passed as she suddenly recalled the reason why she had gotten tangled in this mess in the first place. _Toby_ …her mind whispered, a pang of fear sending tremors throughout her body.

"Why...How…Those were the words. Those were the words that were supposed to _stop you_. That's how the girl wins in the story!" She cried, suddenly overcome with anger and frustration. Sarah vaguely noticed the petulant tone her voice had, reminiscent of her screaming less than thirteen hours ago how things just weren't fair.

_(Fair? You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is?)_

"Yes, my dear girl. Those were indeed the words that made the oh-so-dreadful Goblin King fall before the girl he had fallen in _love_ with." His shoulders shook slightly with what Sarah could only deduce was mirth. "You seem to forget that while words have power, I have even more of it. Stories are, at the end of the day, simply that – stories."

Sarah struggled to come up with something coherent to say, instead choosing to look at the ground. How in the world could those magic words fail her now? Things had been going as perfectly as they could, given the circumstances, perhaps even swimmingly one could say. She had recruited fellow inhabitants of the Labyrinth, turned his followers against him, broken through his illusions, fought her way to the castle beyond the Goblin City…and yet, despite it all, she found herself losing. Where did she misstep? Stories had power, that much she knew. Wasn't his presence proof enough of it?

"I am so much more than stories, Sarah."

It was as though he read her mind, and Sarah cast him a shrewd look. It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

Jareth remained impassive, gazing off behind her as though bored with how long it was taking Sarah to process the fact she was not living the story she so confidently believed she was the heroine of.

Just what was he trying to imply by that? So much more than stories? Sarah took this moment to scrutinize him further, taking note particularly of his inhuman features. He _appeared_ human, but Sarah also learned that appearances only meant so much on the surface.

_(It's a crystal. Nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams…_

_Peaches, warm and tasting of summer…)_

After a long moment of silence had passed, Sarah looked up at him, a confusion crossing her features.

"You're not just a character in a story, are you? You aren't trapped here by my own will…"

Jareth inclined his head with a sardonic twitch of his lips. "Perceptive girl." He took a few steps toward her, his white, cape-like cloth softly hissing behind him as he moved. Sarah stood her ground, unwilling to acknowledge whatever tactics at intimidation he attempted.

"I am what _motivate_ the stories. Humans are egotistical creatures without much due cause. They write what they believe are their own ideas, their own fantasies…dreamscapes…but where do you think they find that sudden hint of inspiration? Who do you think whispers ideas in their minds late at night, when they're fast asleep?"

Sarah's lips thinned, unwilling to let her face show anything other than coolness. She would not show him just how shattering his words were. Nothing made sense anymore, but there was a horrible feeling slowly brewing in her stomach. Somehow, she had reason to believe the real confrontation was just starting. The labyrinth had merely been a game, something for Jareth to idly pass his time. Now was the chance for him to actually put whatever designs he had into motion.

Nothing was spoken, until Sarah finally locked eyes with him, revealing only ire.

"Where is Toby?"

"Toby is of no concern."

"He is to me!" she snapped suddenly, cheeks flushed.

"Oh? I couldn't tell, what with how quickly you wished him away. Your parents hardly had a chance to step foot out the door before you decided to get rid of him."

"I didn't actually mean it, and you know that! I was just upset! People say plenty of things they don't mean when they're angry," she finished somewhat lamely.

"Now, now Sarah…I never said words were powerless. Merely against me do they fail." Jareth flashed a toothy grin, as though he had just told a hilarious joke.

Sarah failed to see the humor, instead anger igniting within her being as though struck by a match.

"Bring him back! I've played your stupid games, I should've beaten you fair and square, so by all means, Toby deserves to be back with me!"

"Stupid games?" Jareth inquired, raising a winged brow ever so slightly. "I didn't know you felt so flippant about your time here in the Underground." There was a lilt in his voice suggesting he was genuinely surprised…and a little irritated.

Sarah felt a surge of confidence, squaring up her shoulders and jutting out her chin defiantly. "That's right. That's what they are at the end of the day after all, aren't they? Why go through all this trouble over what some teenage girl said? Why are you so afraid to _lose_?" She bit out the last word, hoping to get a rise out of him, desperately wanting him to lose his cool the way she was barely managing to conceal.

If Jareth had been irritated before, he was easygoing once more, untouched by a teenage girl's venom. "I have no reason to fear losing."

Sarah internally screamed, infuriated by his vague answers that suggested something profound but revealed nothing.

Jareth then sighed, clapping his hands politely. "I must say though, well done on playing your part as the plucky heroine. You truly threw yourself into the role." His smile was barren of any real emotion, leaving Sarah unsure of what to say. It seemed impossible anyway. He would only use her words as more ammunition for her humiliation.

"My, my…lost for words? What an odd turn of events," Jareth chided.

Sarah resisted the urge to scream and hit something, preferably him, knowing she had no real power here, not with him standing there so deathly calm. Perhaps biting her tongue would prevent something worse from happening, though she had no idea how relative that was. At this point, the worst had already happened to her.

The game was lost, Toby was forever banished to the Underground, destined to become one of the hideously formed goblins roaming the city.

"Never let it be said that I am not benevolent, Sarah."

Sarah tilted her head up suddenly, drawn out of her thoughts. Her shoulders immediately tensed at the sound of his voice while her eyes narrowed.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I am a stickler for details and rules, but I can be persuaded to bend them every now and then." His words remained cryptic. Sarah was perplexed by what he was implying, but it didn't take her long to understand that whatever he meant, it would not come without a hefty price. Jareth was all about equivalent exchange, she had come to realize. _Equivalent…ha, that would be debatable_.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but whatever it is, I refuse. I won't make deals with you."

Jareth simply shrugged his shoulders. "Pity. I suppose I'll just send Toby your regards instead of you saying so yourself."

Sarah's eyes widened in panic. "Wait! What do you mean by that? Where's Toby?" She felt her heart wildly pounding, fearful of what Jareth could potentially do to her poor baby brother. In a fit of teenage ego, Sarah wanted to sob for herself and Toby and the horrors she had put the both of them through. The thought darted rapidly across her mind that she might never see Toby again. And it would be _her_ fault.

"Ah, interested in what I have to say now, I see," Jareth replied, never losing the grin marring his otherworldly face. "You're far too impulsive, Sarah. Think about how easily all of this could have been avoided if you just thought things through rationally. Imagine the grief you could have spared yourself and poor Toby. Truly a pity he has to suffer for your selfish actions."

"Please…" Sarah finally bit out, choking back on her tears. The guilt Jareth was laying on her, forcing into her very soul, was threatening to shatter her. She didn't need his reprimands.

Jareth's features softened, something Sarah was unaware he could manage. He looked deceptively kind, as though a switch were flipped.

"You pay the ultimate penance, Sarah. I could let Toby go free, happy to live his life out. The babe can be returned home, unharmed and safe in the embrace of his parents. He would be blissfully ignorant of his time down here in the Underground, touched by its magic but forever unaware of its presence." He paused briefly, taking a moment to move closer to Sarah. "But it comes with price. These things always do."

Sarah shuddered, drawing in a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes fluttered close, willing herself to block out how close he was. Her senses felt strangely dulled and her thoughts were impossible to navigate with her heart thudding so loudly, like a boat at sea rocked by waves.

How many deals could Sarah cut before there was nothing left to give? She could save Toby, and God knows she so desperately wanted to…but what did that mean for her? Sarah felt her self-pity bubble up to the surface and a sense of shame overwhelmed her. Even now, with the opportunity to rescue Toby out of this mess she had put him through, she was still thinking about herself, about the damage she would take in his stead.

Biting back the bile that was desperate to climb back up her throat, Sarah opened her eyes and locked contact with Jareth's mismatched ones.

"What's the price of this deal?" Her voice made no indication of wavering, surprising Sarah, and from what she could tell, Jareth seemed vaguely amused by its strength as well.

He made a few more strides toward her until there was merely a foot of space between them. Sarah felt the hairs on her skin prickle, as though she were in some electric field. The charge seemed to be radiating off of Jareth himself. Despite wanting to move away and widen the gap between them, Sarah felt incapable, as though his very being was magnetic.

He lifted a white gloved hand slowly, before a delicate, small bauble presented itself. There was a growing sense of dread washing over Sarah, remembering what power that small jewel could unfurl.

"Why not take a look?" He questioned, extending his upturned palm out to her slightly, the tiny bauble glistening innocently.

Sarah refused to take her eyes off of his. She would not let him fool her again, not until she heard the terms of their latest deal.

_(Look what I'm offering you. Your dreams._

_The clock was chiming thirteen o'clock, shards of glass flying across the room._

_A white gown threaded with jewels and silver, stained with crimson.)_

"Tell me the deal."

Jareth laughed softly to himself, allowing the bauble to disappear.

"You've gotten much smarter, Precious. It's a shame," he sighed as though talking about bad weather, "…the dreams you could've experienced…"

It was Sarah's turn to give a bark of derisive laughter. "Oh please, Goblin King. One dream was enough."

Jareth gave a shrug of his shoulders. "You looked like a queen. You could've been one if you let it continue. You had everything you wanted…beauty, elegance, the attention of several potential _suitors_ …" he let that last phrase linger momentarily before moving on. "In any case, I see you are uninterested."

Sarah gazed at him with mild confusion mixed with irritation. What was he possibly trying to convey with what he just said? Suitors? He certainly wasn't implying himself. Sarah had to rein in her snort of laughter at the thought of Jareth showing actual affection for her. That was impossible, and quite frankly, she could never accept it. They were enemies start to finish. Their sole purpose toward each other was to claim victory over the other.

Sarah would win. She clenched her fists at her sides, reaffirmed of her decision to ignore his intoxicating talk of dreams and illusions. She had a single quest and it was to retrieve Toby uninjured and still human.

"What do you want?" Sarah finally said, concealing her tone with a bland indifference.

Jareth's smile lost some of its mirth as his eyes narrowed. "All work and no play, I see."

Sarah refused to give a response.

Jareth suddenly righted himself, clasping his hands behind his back, an impassive look on his face. "I suppose you truly are a child in the greatest sense of the word." Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Jareth cut her off. "You could never possibly understand just what I am offering you, could you?" He shook his head with a hollow laugh.

Sarah hardly understood what he was getting at. She wished that for once, he would just speak clearly…no more riddles, no more vague statements…something concrete and tangible. The abstract was something Sarah was having a hard time grasping, ands she didn't have the patience to understand it, not with Toby's life hanging in the balance.

"Just what do you mean, Goblin King? Be direct," she spoke softly, suddenly very tired from everything she had experienced thus far. Sarah knew she was in no position to give demands, but she wanted this to be over…she wanted to be at home, tucking Toby in for bed, knowing that he would be safe under her watch. She would never let him down again, and she would spend the rest of her life following that sentiment.

He stood there for several moments, regarding her silently. It was like a mask had suddenly been cast over his face, and he was void of any emotion.

The sense of growing dread nearly had Sarah heaving the contents of her stomach when she saw Jareth's face erupt into a smile. The only way she could describe it was sinister. The faint tips of his canines only added to his wolfish smirk. It took all of her will to resist shrinking back from him, determined to show she was unafraid of him.

"As I said before, I can be benevolent. I suppose you coming this far is proof enough you're worthy of claiming victory."

Sarah raised a brow, confusion flickering wildly in her eyes. _What is he trying to do…?_

"I'll release Toby to you, and the both of you will be free to return to your lives. That is a fitting prize for victory after all. One would think at least."

Sarah's mouth nearly hung to the floor, but she snapped her jaw shut tightly before clenching her hands into fists at her side. "Now hold on! Just wait a minute!" Her eyes were glowing furiously. "What do you think you're trying to do? Just one minute ago you were trying to make new deals, and now you're giving me what I wanted – _deserved_ – in the first place?" She shook her head incredulously. "Somehow I don't buy it, Goblin King."

Jareth shrugged his shoulders. "Like I mentioned earlier, you couldn't possibly understand the deal I was attempting to make with you before. I imagine with age, you will understand, and at that point, we can…renegotiate the terms." He grinned.

"No! There is absolutely no way we are renegotiating anything!" Sarah might as well have stamped her foot on the ground for how childish she was sounding at the moment, once again fully enveloped in her frustrations.

"What will it be, Sarah? I let both you and Toby go now, unharmed and free for the time being…or I let Toby forever remain stuck as one of my grossly deformed subordinates, and you left with the self-destroying guilt, so strong it feels like it is _eating you alive_?"

Sarah wanted to say something, anything, but felt completely powerless. Her gaze connected with his, and again she felt that magnetic force, unable to pull away from him. The look was predatory and self-assured, but if she studied him hard enough, she could see a thin layer of anger brewing. He truly was a mercurial being, and Sarah felt constantly on edge, unable to discern just what he was thinking at any giving moment.

Sarah finally felt her willpower reach the end of its rope. She had nothing left to argue, no energy to keep up the charade of the ever courageous heroine.

"I'll take your offer."

Jareth's features relaxed, a comfortable ease taking over his stance.

"I knew you'd make the right choice."

Suddenly, Sarah felt like stars were bursting before her eyes, and a sense of being weightless flooded her. The ground seemed to be knocked from her feet, and she was tilting, falling into nothing.

And when she opened her eyes, she was tucked into her bed, head resting against her pillow while rain softly fell, tapping against her window.

Groggy, Sarah looked at her clock reading one in the morning. The events in the labyrinth suddenly sprung to mind, and Sarah bolted upright before casting aside her covers, running to her parents' room. Nudging the door open quietly, she saw both her parents fast asleep, and upon further inspection, Toby lying in his crib, blissfully unaware of the events that had transpired only a few minutes prior.

Sarah ducked out of their room and crept back to her own, silently shutting the door and leaning her back against it. Her head fell back on the door while her eyes fluttered close.

She had made it back home. She had won.

She would see to it that Jareth never came near them again. He seemed confident about their revisiting, but with a sudden bark of hysterical laughter, an interesting note had dawned upon Sarah.

He couldn't see her again, not unless she summoned him! Surely he may have power against her words, but just how much? There had to be boundaries.

_Boundaries…boundaries…it's okay, Sarah. He can't get you or Toby again._ Sarah's laughter quieted before she padded over to her bed, tucking herself under the covers once more.

Despite her new discovery, the sense of dread that had been plaguing her remained.

As Sarah struggled to fall asleep, a white barn owl softly hooted outside her window before taking flight.


	2. Boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Decided to get a little ahead of schedule with posting the second chapter. Hope you all enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts, comments, critiques!

Sunlight glimmered through the window, and Sarah vaguely felt her covers being ripped from off her body. She immediately began shivering, recalling it was December, with the weather being full of snow and cold winds.

"Get up already! Your alarm has been going off for ages, and I swear if you don't get up, Williams, I will personally flip you off this mattress!"

Sarah groaned and rolled over onto her back, tossing a somewhat playful glare at her roommate who was standing by her bed, hands on her hips. Grace could be an intimidating force when she wanted to be, despite being a slight girl.

"Okay, okay…" Sarah slowly lifted herself up and planted her feet on the cold ground, regretting her decision of wearing old boxer shorts to bed when it was this frosty outside.

"I already made a pot of coffee about fifteen minutes ago, so it should still be fresh," Grace added as she walked out of Sarah's room back toward the small kitchen.

Sarah felt blessed with the best roommate and friend on the planet, since starting her morning without a cup of coffee, especially in this dreadful winter weather, was just impossible. The days she had gone without her daily dose of caffeine had been bad ones for all parties involved.

Sarah quickly got dressed and went through her morning routine before cramming her book bag with her relevant textbooks for the day and the consequent folders. She checked her wristwatch, pleased to see it was only 8:30 am. Sarah and Grace had been lucky to get an apartment in a complex only a ten minute walk from campus at most. She had just enough time to leisurely sip a mug of coffee before heading out.

Taking a seat at the tiny kitchen bar, Sarah idly sipped her coffee and stared off into space, wondering what all she had to do for the rest of the day. Grace pulled up a seat opposite her with her own mug of coffee.

"So…excited for this weekend?" Grace asked, eyes glittering with barely concealed amusement.

"This weekend…what…?" Sarah tilted her head, struggling to remember what Grace was even alluding to.

"Your birthday! Good grief, Williams! Pull your head out of a textbook for once," she chided. "You're turning twenty one! The big two-one!"

Sarah sat there, dazed for a moment. It was true…her birthday was rapidly approaching, and she was completely unaware. Grace hadn't been wrong when she told Sarah to pull her head away from the textbooks…Sarah had a habit of holing herself away in the campus' main library.

But Sarah found solace in her books and studies. She couldn't quite put a finger on why, but it was a habit she had taken to slowly over the years…there was no secret formula as to how Sarah had succeeded academically so often; she just spent most of her time poring over textbooks and papers. Somehow, Sarah had managed to maintain a social life.

She was still a college student after all.

"Ah, now I remember," Sarah hummed, smirking slightly at Grace's exasperated face. "Don't go all out, okay? It's just a birthday. Besides, we have finals right around the corner."

Grace groaned, tapping her fingers with rapid irritation on the counter top. "Sarah, it's your _twenty-first_ , need I remind you? If any occasion required going all out, it's this one! Stop being a grandma for once and celebrate! Finals come and go, but your twenty first only happens once."

Sarah shrugged and sighed as she brought the mug up to her lips, questioning her logic. It was just as well, she figured. When it came to birthdays and celebrating, it was a losing battle with Grace. She supposed the flip side to it was the fact that it was nice to have a friend who cared that much about celebrating the day of her birth.

Sarah, on the other hand, never quite felt the same amount of joy for her birthday that most people seemed to. She couldn't explain it even if she tried, but there was a sense of existential dread. Another year older…something about it seemed eerie to her, but she had long ago given up trying to understand why she felt the way she did. Either way, her birthday had come and gone each year without incident, so why she thought this would be any different was beyond her.

"Well, I better get a move on for class. I'll see you later tonight!"

Grace silently waved in response as she chugged the last bit of her coffee.

And with that, Sarah tugged on her boots and made her way out the door, immediately pulling her thick, fluffy scarf up to her nose. Her cheeks were already red and her breath came out in small puffs of air.

Flecks of snow dance around her, and while Sarah didn't _hate_ it, she did find it annoying…and beautiful in a sad sort of way. Winter had the capability of making things look magical but lonely.

And definitely difficult to walk in.

Sarah cursed as she trudged through the already ground-ridden piles of snow. Her feet were numb despite being decked out in wool socks and covered with her boots. It appeared the caffeine couldn't help her mood this morning.

Grumbling to herself, Sarah made her way onto a sidewalk that was cleared, due to it being on campus, and sighed with relief. She kept her head down in order to avoid the chilling winds flying past her eyes and pulled her scarf up higher. The sun, as much as it had shined a mere hour ago, had retreated back behind the grey curtain of clouds where it would most likely remain for the rest of the day. Sarah's mood further soured.

As she passed under a tree, she heard the faintest sound, like a soft whisper. If campus hadn't been relatively empty this early in the morning, she was sure she wouldn't have noticed it. Glancing around, Sarah saw nothing to indicate the source of noise. Shaking her head, Sarah moved on, unwilling to stay out in the cold any longer.

She heard it again, this time louder. Standing still, Sarah took the time to survey her surroundings with more care. It finally occurred to her to look up.

A white barn owl stared down at her, tilting its head curiously. Sarah felt the color drain from her face. Her cheeks that had been tinged red from the cold were most assuredly pale at this point. Time felt frozen as she and the owl locked gazes, its black orbs blinking intently. It gave a soft hoot, startling Sarah.

She let out a cry of frustration before angrily continuing on her way to class. _It's just a. stupid. owl. Get it together!_

As she walked away, Sarah cast a cautious look over her shoulder, only to find that the owl had vanished from its spot amongst the snow-covered tree branches. It had disappeared without the slightest whisper, and Sarah wondered if she had all but imagined the thing in the first place. Nodding to herself, Sarah carried on, confident in the fact that her lack of decent sleep the night before was responsible for her hallucinations.

The pit in her stomach remained for the rest of the day.

* * *

_There was once a handsome king who ruled over a vast country. While he enjoyed his lot in life, he felt there was one thing lacking: a queen._

_Many women from his own land and across the seas had tried to catch his eye, desperate for his attention and affections, as well as the status. They had all been beautiful, charming in their own ways, but lacking substance. The king could never quite put a finger on it but insisted upon listening to his gut, much to the chagrin of his advisors_ _._

_One day, the king, being bored and rather stubborn, decided he would rather mingle about in the city, away from the responsibilities the throne demanded. Donning a cloak with a hood to conceal his face, the king absconded from the castle, feeling quite_ _clever_ _for managing to_ _disappear without a trace._

_The city was captivating to him, as he had never really had the time or chance to truly explore what life was like for his subjects on a daily basis. The few times he had made an appearance in the city, it had been for a royal decree of some sort where the civilians could see him._

_Today would be different, in that he was just like the lot of them – nondescript and average, though it was hard for him to truly understand that concept._

_As the king milled about, chatting with various vendors in the streets, he was suddenly immersed with the cold sensation of water._

_Sputtering and cursing all at once, the king looked up, shouting, "Just what in God's name is your problem?! Can you not see I am standing here?"_

_It was at this moment that the king realized he was staring_ _at a_ _young woman, holding a basin in her hands. Her eyes were the most startling of greens, reminiscent of jades and emeralds. For being a commoner, the king couldn't help but recognize how beautiful she was._

_Until, of course, she opened her mouth._

" _Well maybe you shouldn't stand right under someone's window sill, sir!" She replied with a sharp tongue, before slamming the window shut._

_The street vendor standing across from the king gave a careless smile. "She's the baker's assistant, lives upstairs just above this bakery here. Pretty, but has a bit of a temper."_

_The king had to agree with that sentiment._

_Over the course of the next several_ _months_ _, the king found himself slipping out of the castle walls frequently. More often than not, his feet would lead him to the bakery where the baker's assistant seemed to work_ _tirelessly_ _._

_It seemed as though she had long forgotten who the cloaked man was that she had so carelessly thrown water upon and cheerfully greeted him each time as a customer. It was interesting, even mesmerizing, for the king to see her work with such focus and passion._

_With each visit, the king and the girl would talk more, though never for too long. Every night, the king went to bed thinking of her, especially her captivating green eyes. She was so painfully common, but her eyes were entrancing. She held an aura he was not familiar with. All the women who had thrown themselves at his feet were usually bland in_ _personality_ _and dressed up to society's expectations. This girl seemed independent and_ _secure in who she was_ _. She was stubborn and downright rude at times in her demeanor, but fascinating all the same._

_And so when the king went to the bakery on this particular day, he had made up his mind. He would ask for her hand, and they would be wed as soon as time would allow._

_The baker's assistant, having fallen in love with the king, was overjoyed._

_But her joy quickly turned to anger and devastation upon watching her beloved throw back his hood to reveal himself as the king. She had felt tricked, deceived. Despite feeling love for him, she had to wonder if there was anything else he had been hiding from her. She wondered, "if he loves me, then why does he lie to me?"_

_The king was shocked to find that the girl was upset._

" _How could you be disappointed? I am the king of this land! I could give you_ anything _you want. You want fortune? You'll have it! You want status? You'll be a queen! I could give you your_ dreams _." In spite of his anger at her scorn, he could not help himself from making this last-ditch plea._

" _You could give me nothing, and you've proven that," the girl replied, continuing to keep to the task at hand. "You assume so much of me, and none of what you could offer is of value to me. I suggest you turn your attentions elsewhere."_

_In the king's rage and humiliation, he demanded to know if there was someone else because this could certainly be the only reason for her rejection._

_The girl denied his accusations, stating that she was only speaking the truth, and that the king was further continuing to insult her character by suggesting she could not be trusted._

_The king, so overcome with his wounded pride and shattered heart, vowed that he would never love another and demanded the girl be arrested._

* * *

The story had suddenly flitted through Sarah's mind as she mindlessly sat through her last lecture of the morning. It had been in a collection of fairytales she had read with fervor when she was a young girl, and a story she had recently read to Toby before bed.

While it had been a favorite of Sarah's, Toby hadn't been too fond of it.

" _The king would make her regret_ _ever rejecting him_ ," Sarah read out of the book before closing it shut. Toby, failing to have fallen asleep, stared at her with an expectant look upon his face.

"What?" Sarah asked when she caught sight of it.

"Well…how does it end?!" He sat up a little straighter. "That can't be the end of the story! And why did they want to get married? They barely _know_ each other! And then she gets arrested?!" Toby rattled off, clearly perturbed by the events of the tale.

Sarah had, upon midway through reading the story, realized she had made a large transgression in retelling it. The tale had a darker ending than she remembered, and upon further recollection, she realized she had been much older than Toby when she first read this story. She had then made the executive decision to omit the rest of it, deciding that risking Karen's wrath over the kind of stories she was entertaining her son with was not worth the price she would ultimately have to pay.

"Well, the king soon realizes that he had acted very irresponsibly and came to his senses that the right thing to do would be to free the girl and respect her wishes. If you love someone, you let them go…and all that jazz," Sarah finished lamely.

Toby stared at her with his bright, sharp eyes for a few moments before uttering, " _BO-RING!_ "

Sarah sighed, shook his blanket-covered foot, and lifted herself up off the bed. "It's all I got, kiddo. Maybe next time you can pick the story. Do we have a deal?"

Toby crowed with delight and buried himself under his blankets as Sarah switched the light off and shut the door behind her.

Sarah smiled at the memory before frowning as she recalled the story's true ending. The king, in a fit of madness for being what he deemed mocked by this peasant girl, had not only ordered for her arrest but her execution. Years would pass with the king having become a recluse, refusing to let any more women compete for his affections. He would forever grieve the only woman he had loved and remain haunted by her green eyes, only to eventually die from the illness his heartbreak had caused with no heir to take his place.

Sarah wasn't sure why such a dark, melodramatic, and ultimately stupid, story had captivated her as an adolescent, but there it was. Perhaps it was the cruel injustice of it all, the king being such a narrow-minded, dramatic, selfish fool, resigned to suffering the aftereffects of his terrible mistake, while the girl, having felt tricked and deceived, paid the ultimate price.

That was the nature of stories, it seemed. Over the top, irrational things that never seemed to quite make it to reality. In a way, Sarah decided that was a good thing. Once upon a time she had wished for the fantastical and all the thrills. But that was a long time ago.

Sarah had, for all intents and purposes, grown up.

As her mind drifted along that train of thought, Sarah found herself walking a path in her memories she desperately wished to avoid. She couldn't help but feel it was no coincidence that silly little fairytale had crossed her mind just after her supposed (she still couldn't be sure it wasn't a hallucination) encounter with a barn owl reminiscent of one very pompous Goblin King…

_Quit it, Sarah. That time has come and gone. What's in the past stays in the past_.

Her own thoughts didn't carry much conviction, and so Sarah forced herself to turn her attention to class for the last ten minutes before she could mill about on campus for her hour break between lectures.

Eventually, the day flew by and Sarah had finally begun to start her walk home. She had spent a grueling six hours in the library, compiling as much research as she could for her two papers that were due within the next week. Despite all the jokes her friends made about her studying habits, even Sarah had her breaking point. It was when she kept mindlessly staring off into space before jolting herself awake that Sarah decided sleep was in order.

Grimacing, Sarah descended the steps of the library and zipped up her coat higher. It was cold and uninviting compared to the warm interior of the library. _Maybe I should've just slept there…_ Sarah sighed before beginning her power walk, eager to get out of the chilly weather.

Sarah had made the trek home late at night several times with no hint of incident. She felt relatively safe on campus, and minus the random drunk frat guys who stumbled home from parties, there was little cause for concern. Even as late as it was, nearly midnight her wristwatch read, she still felt at ease.

So she hardly batted an eye when she heard footsteps fall into sync with her own. She figured, without really registering it at all, that it was simply another student trudging back home after a long night of working.

Rubbing her gloved hands together, Sarah continued onward, never once looking back.

It was then that Sarah noticed the footsteps seemed to pick up the pace. Frowning to herself, Sarah decided to see if the person would match her pace. It felt like a silly experiment, and she figured she was acting like a paranoid idiot.

Suddenly, the footsteps seemed to break into an all out run. Sarah gasped and began to pick up her own pace, risking falling with all the snow on the ground.

Chancing a glance, Sarah turned her head only to come to a complete halt.

There was nobody there.

Sarah could've _sworn_ she heard the footsteps. There was no way she had imagined them! She stood frozen in her steps, struggling to comprehend just what was happening. As a matter of fact, as she turned in a complete circle, she found she was utterly alone. The street lamps on campus illuminated nothing but the buildings and sidewalks – no trace of a figure except hers.

"What the hell…" she whispered to herself, fearing she was actually going mad.

For the first time in a long time, Sarah felt fear. The primal, animalistic kind where her only options were fight or flight. _Or stand still like an idiot…_

Even though she could see no one, she trusted what she heard. The distinct feeling of being stalked ran through her mind and rattled her bones. She told herself there was no one who would possibly feel the need to track her down.

_That's a lie_ , her mind whispered.

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly remembering that night nearly six years ago all too well, where she was bundled tight under her covers, afraid to open her eyes as the sound of rain pattered at her window.

_(I imagine with age, you will understand, and at that point, we can…_ _renegotiate_ _._

_I knew you'd make the right choice.)_

His disembodied voice weaved through the inner recesses of her mind, like ghostly tendrils tearing her brain apart slowly and with precision. How easily the memories had come back, unlocked from the prison she had kept them in so desperately.

She couldn't understand why her body and mind were having this kind of panicked reaction. Was this the onset of a panic attack? Had she pushed herself too far with school and the lack of sleep?

_BREATHE, Sarah! Just. Breathe._ Sarah willed herself to close her eyes and suck in deep, unsteady breaths of air before exhaling shakily. She did this three times before opening her eyes slowly.

"Why, hello, Sarah."

Sarah's heart nearly stopped.

Standing before her in that resplendent glory of his was the Goblin King, looking the same as ever, if not more beautiful and all the more terrifying.

_Jareth…_ the name sent shivers down Sarah's spine. She didn't dare say it aloud.

"Lost for words? I suppose I tend to have that effect, though I have to say I'm surprised you of all people would fall prey to that," he began, picking nonchalantly at seemingly invisible dust on his sleeve.

Sarah didn't even fall for the jab, more consumed with a mixture of fear and awestruck attention. He stood before her in a loose black shirt and the ever present gold pendant around his neck, with his trademark tight pants that were black as well. It made his pale, unearthly skin stand out all the more along with the shock of silvery blond hair. The cape he had fastened around his shoulders was midnight blue and seemingly woven with magicked threads of silver. It almost appeared as though it were twinkling like the midnight sky itself.

He was handsome, she couldn't deny that (though she would never admit it either), but he was also frightening. She didn't know just what kind of creature he was to be honest…she had her suspicions, mostly revolving around the idea of feys, but it didn't really matter in the end. He was otherworldly and despite carrying the shape of a human, he was beyond that. Sarah knew what he was capable of.

_(I am so much more than stories…)_

"What…what are you doing here?" She barely bit out in a choked whisper. She was disgusted with how small and frail she sounded in front of him…where was that plucky sense of courage that could manifest itself so easily in a high school-aged girl when she needed it, now more than ever?

Jareth arched a winged brow. "You can't honestly tell me you've forgotten, Sarah."

Sarah shivered when he spoke her name. It sounded so odd yet entrancing coming from his lips. It was such a common, uninspiring name, and yet when he said it…Sarah shook her head, willing away the distracting thoughts.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Jareth gave a bemused smile. "I'm not often one for jokes, that much I can assure you."

Sarah wanted to melt into a puddle and evaporate.

"That was _six years ago_! How could you not have moved on? Honestly…" Sarah found her courage slowly seeping in, though she knew in the back of her mind she was being a fool. "…are you so _desperate_ that you'd even go so far as to spend time with some human labyrinth runner? Really…"

Jareth narrowed his eyes, and for a moment, Sarah thought she had made a misstep and assumed too much courage.

"I see you are as indulgent in your own personality and worth as ever." His tone was slack with boredom and devoid of any amusement.

For some reason, Sarah found herself bristling at this. She knew her fifteen year old self would've thrown a fit and spat some sort of insult or her commonly yelled phrase of "it's not fair!" but now her nearly twenty one year old mind was also reverting back to that stage. He had a knack for getting under her skin in the worst of ways.

"More importantly…how could you even come to this world? Don't you have to be summoned? Don't you need babies to snatch, young girls to torment?" She quipped, unable to restrain herself from letting out that last retort.

Jareth seemed untroubled by her childish digs. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again – words do not have as much power against me as you think they do. They have some, yes, but only if you know how to use them in the right manner. This is something I fear you'd have a lot of trouble mastering," he gave a toothy grin as Sarah's cheeks reddened angrily. "In any case," he continued examining his gloved fingers with disinterest, "the winter solstice is fast-approaching. The solstices are like any other day for me, but during this time when it draws near, it's a touch easier to travel between worlds. And well, I can see the benefit of taking the easier way if I so wish. You're amusing, but not so much that I would want to expend all that energy."

The urge to punch the Goblin King in his perfect, inhuman face was all-consuming.

It was hard, Sarah realized, to let fear drive her in these moments despite being before the all-powerful Goblin King. The conversation felt informal, joking…even if at her own expense. But that was where the issue lay. He was clearly toying with her, passing time idly… _time_.

Sarah stared at her wristwatch and saw the hands were frozen. Frowning, she flicked the face of the watch with her forefinger and thumb to no avail. The battery must've died on the stupid thing, old and cheap as it was. Though she had noted the hands were seemingly stuck on 11:59 PM, indicating it hadn't died too long ago…

Casting a wary look, Sarah raised her head up at Jareth, only to see him smiling with his hands clasped behind him as he rocked on the balls of his feet. He looked very calm and casual, as though this were something he did often. Sarah didn't have a hard time imagining he was in the business of tormenting people…

"Did…did you…" Sarah started, turning to look back at her now-defunct watch.

"I think you'll find many things have changed if you take the time to look around."

Sarah nearly rolled her eyes. There he was, speaking in cryptic tongue again. But she heeded his words and began to look.

Campus appeared strangely…muted. She knew it had been late when she left the library, but something else was different. Her senses felt blunted…the sound of wind rustling through the trees and bushes was gone, the late night hooting of owls seemingly nonexistent, and the street lamps looked duller, a few of them having flickered out.

Dread began to creep upon Sarah. The pit in the bottom of her stomach was growing wider, and the sound of her heart hammering was flooding her ears. She felt shaky, confused, and above all, desperate to escape.

Without much thought, Sarah turned sharply on her heels and ran, carelessly throwing aside her heavy book bag. For some unknown reason, Sarah felt she was way out of her depth this time. She may have gotten out of the labyrinth unscathed so many years ago, but luck certainly wasn't endless, was it? It would be safer to assume that this time, Jareth had meant business, and she wasn't going to stick around to find out just what that business was.

"Well, if you must insist upon running…" he called, mirth tingeing his tone. "I'll be here when you're done, Sarah."

His words rang out through the silent campus, but Sarah couldn't be bothered to look back at him or slow down. She didn't quite know where she was going, or what she hoped to achieve, but she couldn't linger one moment longer in his presence, that much she understood.

It was only after several moments that Sarah began to realize something was wrong.

The scenery of the campus had faded into something altogether different. The historical buildings that lined the campus streets had all seemingly vanished. Looking down, she noticed snow still covered the ground, but instead of the sidewalk she had been running on, it was a forest floor. Eyes widening, Sarah looked up to discover she was surrounded in a thicket of pine trees. The smell was overwhelming, the scent of the pines mixed with crackling fire. Had this been any other scenario, Sarah would've found herself in love with the sight – a picturesque holiday postcard.

But as luck would have it, Sarah was far from enjoying a holiday.

"Are you finally done? You looked like a mad thing, running about in circles."

Sarah stilled, turning to the source of the voice.

There Jareth stood, leaning against a large tree trunk, shrouded by the shadows. A pale stream of moonlight barely highlighted his angular features, making him appear all the more menacing. The smile on his face did hardly anything to convince Sarah otherwise.

"What's happening?" Sarah finally began, unable to stop the dull edge from reaching her voice.

Jareth gave her a quizzical look, furrowing his brows together as he studied her from his spot by the trees. He made no move to answer her question, and Sarah, feeling a growing surge of irritation, spoke again.

"Are we back in the labyrinth? Is that it? Do you seriously want to go through that again?!" She ended with a snap.

Jareth finally released a sigh before heaving himself up from off the tree. "No. I would've hoped you'd remember the labyrinth a little more fondly than this forlorn-looking landscape." He took this moment to step a few paces closer to Sarah. "No…no, we are somewhere in between your world and mine. A small purgatory, if you will. I hope you don't mind, but I find it less grating than your world," he stated in a tone that had no intention of seeking Sarah's approval.

The information would've surprised anyone, even Sarah herself, had she not experienced the labyrinth so long ago.

"And what do you want? That's the question you seem unable to answer," Sarah bit out coldly, displaying more bravery than she actually felt. She had the shrewd sense to believe Jareth wasn't falling for it either, but he humored her nonetheless.

"I could answer it," he inclined his head as though in agreement with Sarah's deduction, "but I fear you're not as grown up as I had previously thought. Six years is no time for me, but for humans such as yourself, I imagined a lot more development would've taken place. Which, I suppose I was right in one matter," he grinned, mischief glittering in his eyes as he pointedly stared toward her chest.

Sarah felt herself seething, ready to nearly combust into flames, but kept her temper in check.

"Knock it off! You have some ulterior motive for being here, so out with it."

"Are you willfully ignoring what happened between us the last time we spoke?"

Sarah opened her mouth but failing to think of anything worthy of shooting out, closed it. The Goblin King gave a small upturn of the lips, slight enough that if Sarah hadn't been watching him like a hawk, it would've gone unnoticed.

"I didn't think you had forgotten. You may be insolent and childish, but I never thought you were dumb."

_What a compliment_ …Sarah remained silent, unsure of what to even say.

Sensing that she was unwilling to talk, Jareth continued.

"So, Sarah…how about we revisit that little deal of ours?"


	3. Spirits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The third installment is up! Let me know your thoughts, I always appreciate the feedback.

Once upon a time, Sarah had believed in the concept of magic and the inherent goodness of it all. Only those who were pure of heart and destined for good things ever really had true power. Or so, that was what the common fantasy themes suggested.

She was susceptible to the drama and adventure fantasies portrayed. Perhaps it was because she felt she was lacking those aspects in her life. The closest thing she had to feeling like she was living a story was when the villainous step mother, Karen, entered the picture and stole her father's heart. Sarah often acted out scenes she had played in her head in the sanctuary of her bedroom, taking on the role of the courageous heroine who rescued her father from the evil woman's clutches.

The thespian gene seemed to come from her own mother, who had so long ago disappeared on them, leaving her and her father and their dog, Merlin, all alone as this tiny, broken family.

By all means, Sarah Williams had the plot points to rival that of any fantasy novel she had read as an adolescent.

And then Toby came along, the little half-brother whose existence was seemingly for the sole purpose of reminding her of this new family that had formed and gone on without her. She was the outcast, the one who was looking from the outside in. She desperately craved the attention she used to have, the family she had never really had but always wished for…she wanted to be unforgettable.

But like all teenage girls, Sarah had grown up. She had long grown out of her egocentric attitude, despite carrying hints of it every now and then as a young adult was prone to doing. The melodramatic shell she had woven around herself had been cast away in favor of a more open, honest self. Through time and maturity, Sarah had grown to love her family, accepting Karen as her mother who had always wanted her best interests in heart.

And above all, Sarah had a fierce devotion to Toby. It was no secret why, either.

Ever since their jaunt through the labyrinth, Sarah had felt a transformation inside of her. The very thought of losing Toby had threatened to shatter her, knowing she had been the one to put him through that ordeal in the first place. Sarah had made it her mission to protect and love Toby, and in doing so, had grown closer than ever to the boy. So much so, that Toby had nearly bawled when Sarah moved off to college, unaware that the short distance of an hour and a half drive was not the endless journey he so imagined.

Sarah had left her time in the labyrinth feeling a little more humble and a little more thankful.

She also left the labyrinth wishing for nothing but the ordinary.

Magic, she realized, came with a price, and that price was now standing before her.

"I don't want to make any more deals with you, Goblin King. Deals with you are deals with the devil."

Jareth barked with laughter causing Sarah to widen her eyes. The sound was disorienting.

"Oh, Sarah, I'm flattered that you think to compare me with such a silly notion. But I digress…"

"It isn't silly," Sarah replied petulantly. "I've learned not to make mistakes around you. My words may not have power against you, but they somehow end up as ammunition against me, that much I know."

Jareth inclined his head. "Touché. You are more perceptive than I gathered."

Sarah felt oddly proud by that statement. Not that his praise truly meant anything to her, but to know she was capable of surprising him made her feel good.

"So you're free to go. Sorry you came all this way for nothing," she replied in a tone that suggested she was not sorry at all.

"And there is the insolence again," Jareth murmured. "I would think you would be thrilled to see me after all this time."

Sarah's eyes widened incredulously. " _Thrilled_? Oh, that's the _last_ thing I've been wanting! If you think hard enough, maybe you'll remember that you took my brother away from me and then threatened to turn him into some sort of hideous goblin! Why on earth should I be happy to see you?"

It was Jareth's turn to appear surprised. "I only did what you asked of me, Sarah. Remember that. It was _you_ who called upon me, _you_ who wished your brother away, _you_ who risked his life…do not think for a second you lacked autonomy."

His words were sharp and lashed against her soul. She didn't want to admit it, but he had struck a nerve with their truthfulness.

"You can't honestly say you aren't a little happy to see me, can you?" His voice lilted, sounding falsely curious though daring her to challenge him. "Your life has been so… _mundane_. School, books, awkward teenage flings…really, Sarah, some of your choices in men were downright rotten. I expected you have a bit more…finesse?" He finished with a sardonic smile.

Sarah's face was burning a furious scarlet, whether from anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell. What gave him the right to judge her life and decisions? And furthermore, how did he even know?!

As if to further shock her, Jareth continued. "And for god's sake, that young man you were courting two years ago…I know you're inexperienced, but truly, Sarah? Your worth was much more than what you gave yourself credit for." He looked rather serious in that moment, for once sounding rather genuine as opposed to mocking and cruel.

Sarah's face still flushed, recalling exactly who he was talking about. It had been an old boyfriend of hers, Alex, and they had only dated for a scant four months before she finally broke it off with him. It was true, what Jareth said…she knew she could've done better than him. Alex was a person with little motivation or passion, rather choosing to spend his nights partying and out with his friends, spending next to none of his free time with her. And then the flirting with other girls…it had been a mistake, simply put.

Still…Sarah found it odd that the Goblin King was so fixated on her romantic relationships.

( _But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl…_

… _and he had given her certain powers_ )

_No…just no. There's no way that's true._ Sarah let out a tiny, incredulous huff of laughter. There was absolutely _no way_.

Mustering what little adrenaline she had left, Sarah figured she had nothing to lose at this point. Whatever happened, happened, but she had to know what his endgame was. The Goblin King was enigmatic to put it nicely, and she would be damned if he kept her running in circles trying to figure out his motives.

Before she could form words, she was suddenly struck with her own reminder that they held power against her. She had to approach him with caution, unless she wanted to make a fool out of herself. And with Jareth, it wasn't hard to do, much to her annoyance.

"You must be very bored, Goblin King, if you came all the way here to mock me." Her voice rang out in the silence, and Jareth arched an elegant brow, as though he had been snapped out of his own reverie.

"Bored? Perhaps. It does get tiring down there, what with my imbeciles for subjects. I suspect you must've found the labyrinth boring as well, completely forgetting all of your friends…the risks they went through to defy me, and yet here you are, blissfully unaware of their existences."

Sarah looked down, caught off guard and filled with shame. She didn't think he would be able to counter her, but there he was, making her out to be the villain she knew she wasn't…right?

"Stop it…" she whispered.

"Stop what, Sarah?"

"Stop guilting me! Stop finding fault in everything I do! I was _fifteen_ , Jareth! _Fifteen_! I didn't know any better, and I regret so much of what I did…but I've grown up!"

Sarah paused, confused and mildly disturbed how her little outburst had only earned a slightly shocked expression on the Goblin King followed by a slow upturn of the lips.

"Well, now…" he purred. "Are we finally using first names? I was growing tired of Goblin King."

Sarah froze, realizing her mistake. _Shit! Damn it! You idiot, Sarah! Why not just hand him your dignity now and be done with it at the rate you're going._

"That meant nothing. It is your name after all," Sarah said in a desperate attempt to rebound from earlier. Jareth was clearly having none of it, the mirthful look in his dark eyes only growing.

"Say it again, Sarah," he spoke, drawing closer, closing the distance between them. Sarah once again felt that magnetic field around him, something that compelled her to stay rooted to her spot however much she wished to run.

"No."

"Insolent."

"What. Do. You. Want?" Sarah enunciated each word through clenched teeth.

"Your eternal loyalty and submission would be lovely," he said with a cheeky grin. Sarah didn't doubt the veracity of his words.

"Not happening."

"For now," Jareth responded breezily. Ignoring Sarah's indignant look, the Goblin King conjured a bauble in his hand. "Do you remember when I offered to let you see your dreams?"

Sarah didn't respond, but the look on her face said everything.

"What if I gave you that chance again? It's not often people get the opportunity of a lifetime…twice."

Sarah crossed her arms. "You know what the answer is."

Jareth laughed, tossing the bauble up into the air where it vanished into shimmering dust. Sarah would've been dazzled had it not been Jareth.

"Can't help but try. It isn't as though we would need to look at them anyway to know. Or at least, I wouldn't. I know all your dreams, desires, hopes…" he trailed off, watching for her reaction.

Sarah gave a mirthless shock of laughter. "Oh, I'm sure. You clearly know me so well…using tactics you used on me when I was fifteen. I've grown up, Jareth…why don't you?" She tilted her head to the side, feeling a sense of calm and confidence she honestly had no clue where she had found.

Jareth's eyes narrowed before he moved closer. He stalked toward her much like a lion would stalk its prey. The ever inviting sensation of wanting to bolt flooded Sarah, but the rational part of her mind asked where would she go? There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, so why not face the enemy head on?

"I'm generous, Sarah. Very much so," he spoke above her strangled protests. "Do not test me." His eyes were suddenly hard as flint, revealing none of the mirth he had so freely expressed mere moments ago.

"And if I do?" Sarah raised her chin in a show of defiance, feeling the fear ebb away into stony resolve.

Jareth's impassive face suddenly broke out into a grin. "You are truly a hell cat."

Jareth was nothing if not a mercurial being. Sarah could hardly manage to predict what emotion he would show next. The things she expected to cause anger only incited his laughter, and the slightest of missteps brought about flashes of cruelty that hinted at a greater anger.

"Now, we're getting off track. Ah, yes," he feigned sudden clarity, "the matter of why I'm here. To put it simply, a deal is a deal. Remember what you exchanged in return for your brother's safety?"

It was a mostly rhetorical question, but Sarah wasn't about to sit back quietly. "You said we would renegotiate our old deal, but there's nothing up for negotiation. It's been lovely, Goblin King, but I do have a life to get back to," she bit out icily.

"Oh, Sarah…sometimes I think I give you more credit than I should." Seeing her blank stare, Jareth sighed and switched subjects. "I like to keep my bargains, Sarah. It's how things are kept in balance. If I cut deals with every labyrinth runner, what would become of my kingdom? No," he shook his head. "There are prices to pay, and this is yours."

Sarah was lost more than ever. Just what had her stupid fifteen year old self promised him? All she remembered was Toby's freedom and safe return home in exchange for a "renegotiation"… _whatever the hell that word means. This cryptic bastard…_

Speaking slowly, as though talking to a child, Sarah replied, "All I remember in our deal was you saying you would renegotiate our deal in exchange for Toby's safe return, but it's been six years and there's nothing I could give you now…just what am I missing here?" She ended with a tremble, her tone teetering toward all out panic the longer she felt lost in this confusion.

"Well, I suppose I am prone to remiss at times," he replied with a toothy grin, the sharp canines glinting dangerously.

Sarah was expecting the ground to disappear from beneath her feet at this moment because that was the impact his words had on her. She felt like the rug had been swept from underneath her and she was utterly helpless.

"You bastard…" she whispered, eyes narrowing. They threatened to spill tears, but she kept herself in check. She couldn't show him the ultimate form of weakness. She wouldn't.

Jareth simply ignored her insult, looking off into the night sky. "You left the labyrinth, but you didn't leave untouched. Neither did your brother, but the effects were minimal on him. In agreeing to the deal we had made that last time we spoke, you left a piece of yourself within the labyrinth."

Sarah had to bite down on her lip to refrain from uttering _it's not fair_ as childishly as she could. But it was true…how could she have known? He never went into the specifics of what he was offering her with his deal, and she assumed at this point it had been done intentionally. The phrase"devil in the details" came to mind, and Sarah had the good sense to realize she was standing before one.

"As time goes on, the connection you have with the labyrinth does begin to fade, but our deal slightly…altered that," he finished with a smirk. "In any case, you are bound to the labyrinth, and with that, me." He paused before turning to finally look at Sarah. "I believe I am taking what I am rightfully owed." His voice had suddenly gone a pitch lower, his face devoid of any humor or mockery. He was one hundred percent serious.

The urge to vomit was overwhelming. Sarah felt her heart in her throat and breathing suddenly became a process her body forgot. Her brain wracked itself violently in her head, attempting to reconstruct the last time they had spoken…six years was a long time to recall something that she had borderline convinced herself was a dream… _no,_ nightmare, her mind echoed wearily.

"No…no…this can't…" was all Sarah could muster, unable to even glance in his general direction. She hadn't realized her feet had stepped several paces away from him. He remained impassive and almost… _bored_ with her panicking. "You can't!"

Jareth looked up from a bauble he had been rolling around his wrists, an eyebrow raised in question. "Oh, can't I? I suppose the next thing you'll blurt out is _'it's not fair!'_ and believe me when I say this, I have no patience to hear it."

Sarah remained silent for several moments, allowing her brain to comprehend just what was going on in this moment. She could feel the onset of a panic attack, her mind flooded with images of Toby, herself, the labyrinth and her friends, while her body ramped up the speed of its processes. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute, she felt dizzy and perspiration seemed to dampen her forehead.

"You can't," she choked out again softly, wrapping her arms around her chest, hugging herself and fighting the urge to wretch.

( _Just fear me, love me, do as I say..._

_...and I will be your slave_ )

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

So that's what Jareth had been after all along, wasn't it? She had been such a fool at fifteen to think she had the upperhand. She never had. It was always Jareth's game, his rules…

Sarah's green eyes suddenly widened.

"... _I will be your_ slave"

The words Jareth had spoken that fateful night six years ago kept echoing in her head. Sarah had to wonder if she was missing some other hidden details in this, if perhaps Jareth had only said those things long ago to throw her off...but what if?

What if all she had to do was what he asked?

Fear him? He already had her fear, loathe as she was to admit it. But then there were the other pieces... _love him? That's impossible! Do as he says? Over my dead body_ , Sarah's mind growled. But if all she had to do was convince him she had accepted this, then perhaps he could be outwitted. Sarah had to roll her eyes internally at her own optimism.

Jareth wasn't a fool.

But Sarah was swiftly running out of options.

Slowly, Sarah stilled herself, taking in deep breaths. Her body relaxed ever so slightly under her mind's guidance.

Jareth hadn't taken his eyes off of Sarah in that time. He had studied her, curious, distant, and amused. She was so expressive, so open...what was that phrase? Wearing one's heart on their sleeve? Well, Sarah had to be the definition of that.

He wondered if this time around, she truly understood what he was offering her. He could rule her, but she would have _everything_. Her dreams would be hers for the realizing. Anything Sarah wished for, he would be there to make it so. How she could have refused, especially in all her ignorant adolescence, was beyond Jareth.

But here she was now, no longer a spoiled teenager, but an irritatingly stubborn woman.

Irritating, but it made him want to rule her even more.

Sarah Williams was a challenge wrapped up in a beautiful human being.

How long had it been since such thoughts had emerged in his mind? For six years, Jareth had felt his senses flooded with Sarah. There had been such a fluctuation of emotions. One minute, he was enraged at her for daring to refuse him, daring to escape the labyrinth with she and her brother intact and he the loser. But he had also remembered the way the stars twinkled in her hair, the way her green eyes flashed brilliantly, the way she expressed her courage cloaked in ignorance and naivety.

She was confusing, irksome, but fascinating all the same.

And then there was the troubling feeling of desire that evolved as time passed. Not desire to rule over her, or beat her in a game, but desire in its most base form.

Sarah watched for a mere few seconds, but the intensity with which Jareth looked at her caused something to stir inside her. Fear, for one thing, but Sarah could no longer deny that was always present when in close range of the Goblin King.

Her mind suddenly blanked as she instinctively knew what look he was giving her.

It was a look she had seen from past boyfriends like Alex, a look she had seen from a man standing across the bar, a look that stated _"I want you_."

She blinked furiously.

She was being stupid. She had to be stupid.

The Goblin King didn't subscribe to this kind of drama. He wasn't even capable of showing anything other than derision, arrogance, and his own brand of mirth and amusement, normally revealing itself in times when he had, for lack of better word, screwed her over.

Nevertheless, Sarah's face flushed deeply.

The will to consider her plan and put it into motion had dwindled. Something about the way the Goblin King looked at her prevented her from being able to even try. It was the feeling of getting herself into more than she bargained for. How could she risk everything when she had no clue what the rules of the game were? Was it even a game at this point?

When it came to the labyrinth, and Jareth for that matter, Sarah figured it was prudent to believe that this was indeed not some childish charade. He had plans, goals...and Sarah needed to be smarter than ever.

"Would it be so bad?" Jareth's voice came out softly, lilting. It was deceptively gentle.

"What…?" Sarah spoke, confusion tingeing her tone.

"Would it be so bad?" He repeated. "To stay in the labyrinth? As I said before, your dreams would be reality. I would leave you wanting for nothing."

The way he said "nothing" made Sarah's heart hitch. It sounded intentional, purposeful...as if he meant more than what he was letting on. Sarah began to wonder if her adolescent mind was coming to life again, running away with its imaginations.

"You just don't get it," Sarah whispered softly. "You want me to give up my free will. And you know that's just not going to happen," her voice picked up in volume, feeling more resolute and confident in her decision. And it was true. It was as much part of her being as it was just a fact of life. Sarah couldn't give up her own independence, bend to someone else's will.

And she wouldn't ever ask that of someone else, certainly not the Goblin King.

Jareth's eyes suddenly narrowed, and Sarah's musings were rudely interrupted.

The air around them seemed to change, and that familiar buzzing, hair-prickling sensation came in like a deluge around her once more. She suppressed the shudder that threatened to run down her spine, acutely aware that Jareth's mood, like the weather, was liable to change in an instant.

"You are a fool, Sarah. Do you know how many in your position would be able to understand the full weight of the situation?"

Sarah's own temper flared.

"You're the fool!" She snapped. "Do you know how many in _your_ position would take a hint and back off?"

She didn't know where the sudden bout of courage resurfaced from, but Sarah welcomed it. She wouldn't let Jareth push her around. She wasn't fifteen anymore.

He had to understand that she would never let him _have power over her_.

Jareth remained impassive to her words, the only sign he had registered them being the slight flaring of his nostrils.

"If you recall, you're not the only one who's magic the labyrinth touched…" he said with a curl of the lips.

Sarah froze.

" _No_ ," she whispered, the sinking realization washing over her. "You wouldn't touch him. You _can't_. I'm not wishing him away again, never," she punctuated with spreading her open palm to the side by her hip as an underscore.

"You are so bound up in rules and believing the labyrinth, and _I_ for that matter, operate under some sense of human justice. You would do well to forget those beliefs when dealing with me, Sarah," Jareth bit out, tugging at his black leather gloves with a fierce quality.

Sarah shrank back. How did the tables keep getting turned on her, over and over? She felt like she was caught in some endless loop, where Jareth always emerged the victor, always outsmarted her.

"Just...don't take Toby. Please."

Sarah hated begging, hated it with every fiber of her being.

But Toby was one of the most important people in her life. She had to do right by him.

Jareth's face remained stony, before he exhaled softly.

"For the time being, I will not touch him." His mismatched eyes that faced downward now flashed to her.

Sarah hardly relaxed. "For the time being" meant little.

The Goblin King stared impassively off in the distance, the pine trees barely whispering.

The night air hung still between them, threatening to choke Sarah. She felt as though her ability to breathe was slowly fading in this weird, twilight space.

Suddenly, Jareth was drawing closer to her, stepping booted foot after booted foot calculatedly in her direction, one tapping after the other in a menacing, slow rhythm.

Before Sarah knew it, Jareth was standing before, and she was struck by the notion of how much more imperial he was up close. It would be a lie, Sarah realized, to deny he was devastatingly beautiful. Terrifying, but it came with the territory, considering the nature of his being.

"Consider this my last offer then," Jareth murmured softly, the barest hint of a threat lacing his tone. "Prove to me you truly don't want what I'm offering you, Sarah. I had suspected you were too young to understand, but now I wonder if it is denial that prevents you from seeing everything you could have."

Sarah's brows furrowed together.

"Do you even know what I want? Truly?" Sarah whispered accusingly. "Maybe once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I wished for nothing more than to be whisked away to some magical land. To be not only a princess, but a heroine who knew how to hold her own.

"And then I came to the labyrinth, and I realized I was wishing for all the wrong things. You can't give me the things I want...just what you _think_ I want."

"And...what is it you want?" Jareth asked calmly, looking down at her from the slope of his nose, lips barely moving.

Sarah pursed her lips, suddenly unaware of how to put her thoughts into words.

She floundered, unable to convey her thoughts to Jareth in a way he would actually understand. He accused her of living in denial, but here he was, unable to consider the fact that Sarah didn't want to be by his side for the rest of her life, perhaps even for an eternity if that was what he was offering, in the Underground.

But Sarah was once again struck by the pure sight of him. Proximity did no good for Sarah's constitution, that much was evident.

Sarah could feel her cheeks reddening and the beat of her heart picking up its pace. Her thoughts, barely coherent in the first place since this ordeal, had completely disintegrated. It was hard to argue that any other man had ever elicited this reaction from her.

But then again, no other man had threatened to snatch babies from her and make her run through a damn labyrinth, so Sarah had to put a stop to her treacherous train of thought right there.

( _I wonder what your basis for comparison is…_ )

Jareth extended some courtesy on his part and ignored her lack of response to his question.

"Prove to me you don't want what I'm offering you. Play our little "game" one last time," he gave a sardonic smile. "You win, you walk away, and I stay out of your life forever. I win, and you will give yourself to the labyrinth and me."

Sarah shuddered, unsure of whether or not it was out of fear or something else she dared not explore further.

"And why should I agree to that? You'll just pull the same tricks again and I'll end up back in this sad spot." Sarah's emerald eyes stared at him distrustfully.

Jareth gave a hint of smile, stepping back. Sarah felt oddly irritated at this motion, like she suddenly lacked something.

"No tricks or gimmicks this time," he held up his right hand, palm facing her as though taking an oath. "There will be no interventions on my part. Just you, the labyrinth, and thirteen hours."

Sarah accepted this with little faith.

"And what if I refuse?" Sarah had the feeling of déjà vu overcome her.

"I won't be generous, Sarah. Trust me when I say you would be wise to not gamble with matters such as these. I have done far worse to those who I make deals with, but you are far from being an exception."

Sarah seemed to instinctively understand what he was promising.

He could cause her irreparable damage...he could also kill two birds with one stone by going after Toby.

The Goblin King was ruthless.

Sarah lifted her chin up in a mix of emotions teetering between defiance and pride.

"I'll run the labyrinth again. I'll run it, and I'll _win_."

Jareth gave a bemused laugh, void of any real humor.

"Don't count on things being as they once were."

Those were the last words Sarah heard before the old and once familiar sensation of stars exploding before her eyes overcame her, and she felt entirely weightless.

When she opened her eyes once more, Sarah discovered she was utterly alone.

* * *


	4. Touch

All around Sarah was pitch black. No matter where she turned, only a bottomless void seemed to pierce through her soul. She was unnerved, and if she thought too hard, panic began to creep up her throat, releasing its form as nothing more than a weak whimper.

Sarah wasn't sure what she had been anticipating...after all, Jareth had warned her.

( _Don't count on things being as they once were…_ )

Sarah wanted to laugh, cry, shout, and just break down completely.

It seemed like no matter what she did, Jareth was always one step ahead of her, surprising her, throwing obstacles her way of which she couldn't fathom how to get out. The desperate urge to seek out her friends, unabashedly and with complete self-pity, consumed her. But the feeling of shame engulfed her soon after as she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath of air.

Sarah had made her mistakes...the proverbial bed so to speak, and now she was to lie in it. Besides, who was to say Hoggle and the others even _wanted_ to see her...or _could_ see her for that matter? Because as it stood right now, Sarah couldn't see _anything_.

And that made her wonder all the more if other people - _creatures_ \- could see her? She shuddered, remembering with unwanted acuity the craziness of the fieries and involuntarily reached for her neck. They weren't taking her head off either, she would make sure of that.

Pushing down the simmering feelings of anxiety, Sarah decided she had to do something. And for now, that something was simply picking up one foot and putting it front of the other.

Sarah had no sense of where she was walking or what direction even. Not that she believed having the cardinal directions established would mean anything in this godforsaken place. It didn't even appear to be the labyrinth, and though she heeded Jareth's words, she wondered if he had also been up to his old tricks.

( _No tricks or gimmicks this time…_

_...the glint of sharp teeth, the flicker of something baser in his eyes_ )

Sarah closed her eyes tightly before opening them again.

She had to do what she said she would - win.

She couldn't trust Jareth to keep his word, and she had to treat this go around as something unpredictable. Jareth so desperately wanted her to believe that the labyrinth didn't appeal to her own brand of justice and human moralities.

Well, she'd give him just that.

She would throw all expectations out the window.

Spurred by her thoughts, Sarah took longer strides, confident in her direction but unsure of her destination.

And suddenly, as if it had just magically appeared, a small, clear pool twinkled off in the distance, silvery trees providing a small encampment around it. It was like a tiny, sparkling oasis in the middle of a void.

Like a moth to a flame, Sarah moved for it, enchanted and eager to have something more tangible to hold onto in all this darkness.

As she reached closer, her expression fell; a white owl was perched within the silvery branches of a tree, only its beady black eyes betraying its existence. Sarah stood still, unsure of whether or not to come closer.

The decision was made for her when the owl gracefully flew off the branch and transformed from the sky downwards into the shape of her favorite fae highness.

He looked ethereal and calm, as if the exchange they had had in that twilight space was nothing more than the type of small talk you'd share with a neighbor or colleague. Sarah arched a brow, taking note that he had traded in his dark fabrics for something a little less intimidating. Indigos, cyans, ash grays all swathed around his form, the silvery blue tunic hanging open and loose with the familiar pendant dangling just in front of his chest.

Sarah drew in a sharp intake of air.

He was a sight to behold, propped ever so casually but in perfect arrangement against some white boulders by the pool's edge. He stared at her wordlessly, and again, Sarah was struck by that look that said so much more than his words ever let on.

Something warm pooled in her belly, and Sarah had the good sense to realize her body was betraying her. No man had ever elicited this response from her quite this strongly...of course she had felt desire for other men...but this was different. This spoke to something far more intimate.

For some reason, Sarah felt as if her soul was laid bare between them, open to his perusal. He didn't even have to ask - it was just implicit.

It seemed her mind was betraying her too.

Without even realizing it, Sarah was drawing closer to the Goblin King as if she had been enchanted. Even if she wanted to break away and run, Sarah was somehow doubtful she could. It seemed...right - _natural_ , even - to crave being this close to him.

Her body felt like it was tingling, and the sensation itself wasn't too bad. Sarah nearly jolted when a gloved hand touched the small of her back and drew her in closer. The way he did so, lazily but with a fierce possessiveness, lit a fire inside of Sarah.

Her green eyes became half-lidded, turning darker with lust. She was no stranger to sex and all that it entailed; her virginity had long since been lost and largely anticlimactic, much like the physical pleasure she was _supposed_ to have felt.

But here, in this tucked away oasis, Sarah felt like the little piece she was missing, the true peak of pleasure, it was all here. And this one man was about to offer her that. And so much more.

( _Your dreams would be reality…_

_...I would leave you wanting for nothing_ )

Sarah's mind, through its foggy haze, could still recall the way he said the word 'nothing'...so intentional. Something was being promised there beyond what he was sharing on the surface. And Sarah had suspected what that something was.

And here she was now, confronting it head on, and she felt absolutely unwilling to stop it.

As if he could read her thoughts on cue, Jareth took his other gloved hand and pulled the wrist of her left hand up toward him, planting the softest of kisses upon it, before drawing her chin toward him, softly capturing her lips with his own. Sarah's eyes fluttered close in response, shocked at how readily she melted into him. Before she knew it, Jareth had pulled her closer to him, so that she was trapped between his legs, her body flush against his chest.

Panic bubbled up again in the back of her mind, alarm bells going off, shrieking that _something_ was wrong. But Sarah was ever the glutton and could only think of the mini bursts of pleasant electricity she felt coursing through her veins.

How had she ever turned this man down? A man who so readily wanted to claim her, give her _everything_? Perhaps she _had_ been a fool.

His tongue interrupts her silly musings, demanding, not asking, that she permit him clearance to take her mouth fully. And Sarah gave up, greedier than ever to keep this sensation going. What was the point of fighting this? Would having her dreams and desires come true really be so bad?

The faintest sensation of a gloved hand reaching under her shirt jolted Sarah, but rather than fight it, Sarah welcomed it with a moan into the Goblin King's mouth. He grinned into the kiss, pleased with the responses she was so freely giving. It looked like the little hellcat could be tamed after all.

It was only when that mischievous gloved hand reached under her bra to stroke against the soft breast it covered that Sarah was snapped back to reality.

_Toby!_ Her mind screamed at her, as if it had been jumping up and down this whole time, begging Sarah to get a grip.

With ferocity Sarah didn't know she possessed, she pushed back against the Goblin King.

Confusion and fear marred her features, the last traces of lust draining from her face.

"Wh-what did you do to me?" She whispered, faintly tracing her lips, vaguely aware that they had just been on the Goblin King's own.

"I did nothing," he replied simply, as if that were all the explanation she would need.

"Damn it, Jareth!" She accused, using his name again for the second time. "I can't believe you'd stoop so _low_!" Sarah seethed, exuding so much vehement anger, partly because it was only a projection onto herself.

She had fallen weak, and in that moment of weakness, he had opened up new doors for her. Sarah wasn't stupid enough to ignore the fact that she had an attraction to him, one that was purely physically, but she had never considered that he would act upon it so quickly...and that she would give in so readily, as though she had practically been begging for him to do this from the moment they laid eyes on each other!

"I'm not 'stooping,' as you so eloquently put it, Sarah dear. I'm giving you exactly what your heart desires. Tell me it didn't mean something to you?" He asked in a way that hardly left room for questioning.

"I never wanted that. You know this." Sarah's voice came out hard as flint, but the look in her eyes was where the betrayal of that confidence hid. She may have never spoken aloud, said so clearly and succinctly to Jareth that she had wanted him to all but take her...but then, her physical reactions must've spoken loudly enough. Every blush, every lip bite, every hooded stare...Jareth must've been ticking them off an internal checklist.

Sarah anxiously tugged at her shirt, rearranging it as best she could as though that could hide all the evidence of what had transpired. It was useless though...that kiss, his touch...it would forever be seared into her mind.

"Sarah…" the Goblin King suddenly spoke, saying her name in such a way that Sarah felt a shiver run up and down her spine. "I could make you so happy, if only you would let me have that honor."

Sarah had to fight from rolling her eyes. _Honor? Yeah, right. That sounds like something he would say...wait!_

Sarah's eyes flashed with sudden clarity.

"This isn't him…" she whispered softly under her breath, staring at the patch of grass underneath her feet. Her eyes wandered aimlessly, roving over toward the glassy pool surface, when she gasped in surprise.

Her reflection stood there, clear as day, but the supposed Goblin King's reflection was distorted, hazy. It was as if he were fading beneath the water's surface. And most shocking of all, to Sarah's utter horror, was that this reflection had no face.

"This. Isn't. Real!" Sarah enunciated each word with slash of her hand through the water's edge.

In what was a stunning display, the water dissipated, splintering into what looked like thousands of shimmering diamonds, and Sarah was free-falling as the mini oasis before her vanished into nothingness.

With a resolute slam, Sarah felt her body hit solid ground, and she opened her eyes, wincing at the pain.

Looking around, Sarah was greeted with the sight of a forest floor. Trees surrounded her and off in the distance, she could hear birds chirping back and forth. For all intents and purposes, she was in what most would consider your average forest.

Her head felt woozy and as she struggled to get to her feet, she gasped, clutching at her head. Her temples flared and through the grogginess, Sarah could hardly register anything but pain. Worst of all, Sarah tried to wrack her brain about what had just happened, but her memories came up blank.

All she remembered was Jareth warning her about the newly evolved labyrinth, and here she was. But she couldn't find the niggling feeling that _something_ had occurred. Fear threatened to overtake her as Sarah grasped her head between her palms, eyes darting around furiously. She felt like nothing was real anymore, and perhaps it wasn't. Who was to say that Jareth even played fair? Maybe in agreeing to run the labyrinth one more time, Sarah had really just signed away her rights.

It wouldn't be the first time Jareth had reneged on a deal. His words were merely that - words.

Taking in several gulps of air, Sarah sought to clear her mind and let go of the things she couldn't control. For now, she would have to figure out something, anything, to get out of here. Her freedom, and Toby's for that matter, were being held captive by a ruthless fae, and Sarah wasn't about to lie back and let it happen without a fight.

Summoning what little vestiges of her fifteen year old self resided in her now, Sarah forced herself to believe she was the courageous heroine in all the fantasy books she had read and practically ate up as a child. That naively brave Sarah had to be hiding inside herself somewhere, waiting to be called upon.

Without any real reason, Sarah decided to follow the path in front of her. She couldn't explain, but it felt like the right way to go. There were faint traces on the ground to suggest others had gone through this same footpath before her, so perhaps it wouldn't be a bad start to this journey.

Looking down at her watch absentmindedly, Sarah was shocked to see that not only had it started working again, but its face reflected thirteen hours.

Concrete proof that Sarah was in the running, it seemed.

Her lips pulled into a frown as she realized nearly an hour had already passed. Further evidence that contributed to Sarah's concerns that not all was as she suspected. And that Jareth was definitely not to be trusted.

At the mere thought of him, Sarah's wrist throbbed and pulsated. Raising it up to her face, she noticed nothing about it. No marks, no blood, just a phantom pain.

Deciding it was nothing to dwell over, Sarah moved onward, humming softly to herself.

She was surprised to feel a sort of nostalgia gently wash over her as she traveled through the greenery. Bits of sunlight broke through the forest canopy and spattered droplets of gold where it could. Every now and again, bursts of colorful flowers and shrubbery would bespeckle the footpath Sarah was on, earning many oohs and ahhs of delight from Sarah. But she knew she couldn't afford to lose herself in the charm of the labyrinth, because for all its terrifying perils it held, there was something wondrous and magical on the other side of the coin.

As Sarah pushed onward, she was startled to come upon not only a large clearing with a beautiful lake, but a funny little creature sitting near the water's edge.

Upon further inspection, still keeping hidden in the shadow of the trees, Sarah could see that it looked like the form of a goblin. A funny little green thing, in a pale lavender dress it seemed.

Sarah debated whether or not to approach the goblin, but the goblin had decided for her.

"Come on out! I may not be as young and spry as I used to be, but I can still hear, you know!" She hollered, her voice gruff but not unkind.

Sarah had the decency to look ashamed as she revealed herself to the old goblin woman.

"Well my, my! Lookit _that_!" She broke into a grin, displaying a random assortment of teeth. "A human! Don't see many of you round these parts," she added, returning her attention to her task at hand. From what Sarah could see, she was plucking at certain plants and putting parts of them in a small, handwoven basket.

"Umm…" Sarah said unsurely, drawing closer to the goblin.

"Flora," the goblin woman easily replied, never stopping to look at Sarah. "That's what you can call me. And you are?" She paused briefly to give Sarah a shrewd look.

"Sarah," she replied.

She must've imagined it, but Sarah could've sworn she saw a flicker of something strange pass through the goblin woman's eyes. Recognition? Fear? Sarah mentally shook her head. It was probably nothing and Sarah's mind was just careening from prior events.

"Oh? Is that so?" The goblin's voice seemed a tad bit distracted suddenly.

Sarah didn't know what possessed her, but she felt the need to instantly blurt out everything she could think to ramble about.

"Yes...I'm running the labyrinth again, and I only have thirteen hours to get to the castle. I've run this thing before, but I guess it's changed...like I have, I suppose," Sarah ended on a wistful note.

"You must be well acquainted with the Goblin King then, I assume?" Flora gave a sharp look up at Sarah.

Sarah shifted from one foot to the other. "You could say something like that...but I can't lose to him. If I don't get out of this labyrinth in thirteen hours, he takes _everything_ and...and...oh god," Sarah murmurs, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. It's as if the enormity of the situation had hit her like a tidal wave, and she was only on a small tugboat, unable to change her course or abandon ship. Decisions were made for her, and now she's been forced into playing along as best she can.

In the midst of Sarah's panic, Flora's eyes harden.

Did this girl know just how ruthless the Goblin King truly was? He was every bit as kingly as he appeared and ruled in a way that kept order in the kingdom...but he was known to have a malicious streak. Flora had seen it first hand.

Flora also knew what it meant for a labyrinth runner to run the labyrinth and to fail. She had seen the remnants of other labyrinth runners before this one standing before her. Some had been dumped into misted forests on the outskirts of the labyrinth, trapped forever in a maze of their own mind, giving into insanity. Others, the Goblin King had decided, were kept around for him to get out his sadistic streak out.

After all, Flora had once been a handmaid in the old castle.

And then it dawned upon her that this girl, this Sarah that she called herself, was no ordinary labyrinth runner.

She remembered with sudden clarity when the Goblin King had gone mad with rage. Part of the city had been damaged, though it was hardly enough to be noticeable, as she recalled. What had really been the memorable event was the way the Goblin King suddenly went on a warpath. It hadn't ever been odd for the Goblin King to be so overcome with rage - he was prone to his tantrums - but this had been different. A sort of rage that appeared as though it had been building up over time - it had to have been, Flora reasoned, for how else could it have been so great?

Then again, Flora can't remember any other times in the history of the Underground that a labyrinth runner has bested its ruler.

So perhaps, Flora decided, she should be regarding this Sarah woman a little more closely.

But as Flora looked at Sarah's form again, she was startled to see just how young she appeared. Flora could only wager the girl had barely entered womanhood. And something about that hopeless look in her soft, green eyes moved Flora.

This woman-child had somehow beat the labyrinth before? It's hard to believe, and Flora felt like she could somewhat suddenly understand the Goblin King's rage at being bested by a human child of all things.

"I...I just don't even know where to begin," Sarah stammered, bringing Flora to attention. "It's almost like the first time I was here, I had endless amounts of courage, so much that it blinded me from any real fears. But now…" she sighed, raking a hand through her chestnut hair. "It just _feels_ different. And that's putting me on edge. Scaring me.

"I had help the last time I was here though," and it is at this point that Sarah smiled wistfully. Her smile faltered. "I just don't think they'd want to see me anymore, after all this time. I hadn't exactly been the most attentive person." Sarah was unsure of why she was sharing so much with this random goblin woman, but it helped to have someone else around for company, someone who _wasn't_ a tall, elegant, pompous, asshole of a Goblin King.

Something tells Flora that Sarah is cursed from the start. She could run the labyrinth and win, but it probably wouldn't change anything. If this Sarah girl was who she thought she was, then Flora suspected that this was highly personal. The Goblin King was a man of order, chaotic order, but an order of his own kind nonetheless. That didn't mean he wasn't prone to remiss at times. Flora didn't know too much about the Underground's ruler, but she did know that he was anything but benevolent.

Still, Flora thought. Perhaps this Sarah girl had a chance. Maybe she could win the labyrinth and leave it intact, never to return again. After all, the look of terror in that young thing's eyes was telling enough.

"Look, child...the Goblin King is not one to mess with, if you can avoid it," she said in a low, conspiratorial voice, as if worried the Goblin King could hear and would smite her at a moment's notice, not that she pledged direct allegiance to him anymore.

Sarah bit her bottom lip with worry. "I know, Flora. But...I have to! If I don't do anything, I'm effectively telling him to do what he wants and take what he wants," Sarah trembled briefly at this thought. "But I've fought him before. I've faced him head on, and I _won_. Well," her brows furrowed together. "I kind of won. In a sense." She waved a hand flippantly. "It doesn't matter! The point is, I can take him. I have to." She resolutely replied.

Flora looked upon the girl once more with more pity.

She was a pretty thing, but Flora could already see the doom spelled out for her.

Nevertheless, Flora felt a long unused maternal instinct awaken inside her. It was odd, she thought, to feel this intense of a longing to protect and help after only seeing this girl for all of a few minutes. Perhaps it was her gut telling her something about this girl was important. Then again, Flora's gut had also told her to lay off all the tea she had been drinking as of late, but ah well.

"It's not obvious," Flora whispers once more in that conspiratorial voice, "but there is a path that is almost completely a direct shot to the castle. It's not always easy to work around, but I've managed it myself and I'm an old thing." And here, Flora gestured to a section beyond the lake, away from the faint footpath Sarah had been set on following.

"It's a path more treacherous, especially for a human who's not used to the terrain or what the labyrinth has to offer, but it's much quicker than this path you're currently on. It would take you nearly two days had you continued on with the footpath. Follow that tributary until it takes you up the mountain. Once you get on the other side of it, the castle is hardly more than a few hours walk. But beware!" Flora warned, holding up a short, crooked finger. "Though the path appears easy, and it can be, there are many diversions. Many traps and snares. But something tells me that if you've gone through the labyrinth before, you can handle the challenges it throws this way."

Sarah felt instant relief wash upon her. There was a shorter way, a clearer sense of direction!

"Thank you! _Thank you_ ," Sarah repeated again, making sure the sincerity was evident in her tone.

Flora gave the barest of smiles, somewhat warmed to see how the girl's eyes suddenly shimmered like emeralds.

"Be safe, you foolish girl."

"I will. Thank you again, Flora," she added, hastening to get up and on her way. She would follow the route Flora told her and keep her wits about her. Jareth may have thought Sarah would be helpless, but he was about to be proven very, very wrong.

Walking along the lake's edge, Sarah finally arrived to the other side and found the tributary Flora had told her to follow. It twisted and winded its way through dark woods, and Sarah bit her lip with apprehension. The whole thing gave her an uneasy feeling, but it was the best shot she had at the moment. Where else was she to go?

Fighting back fears that threatened to deflate her confidence, Sarah pushed onward, ready to face whatever tricks the labyrinth, and Jareth, had laying in wait for her.

* * *

Flora watched as Sarah's form retreated further and further away around the perimeter of the lake. Nearly half an hour later, the girl's form had vanished, following the path of the tributary Flora had pointed out for her.

She had an uneasy feeling weigh upon her chest. For some reason, she couldn't shake the image of a lamb being led to the slaughter.

But perhaps she wasn't being fair enough to the girl's abilities. Maybe there was more to Sarah than meets the eye. In any case, this was out of Flora's old, goblin hands now.

As she continued turning back to her work of picking out medicinal herbs, she heard a faint twinkling sound. Her heart froze.

She knew that tell-tale sound and what it signified.

As she looked up, her fears were proven right.

The regal form of the imperious Goblin King stood before her, arms crossed lazily against his chest. He was swathed in crimsons, vermillions, and black. A smile adorned his face, but it didn't reach his eyes, hard as flint and cruel.

He was exactly how Flora remembered.

"My, my...my little goblin handmaid, sticking her fat nose where it doesn't belong, as usual I see," Jareth gave a feral grin.

Flora's green-hued skin paled considerably.

"I always appreciated your presence, Flora. You brought some order to the castle, you know?" He arched a brow in false, polite curiosity. He didn't truly expect an answer out of her.

"Th-Thank you, my L-Lord…" Flora stumbled, stuttering out what words she could string along. Fear washed over her, head to toe, and she knew that whatever she had coming, that Sarah girl had far worse.

Jareth's smile fell, the charade finally dropped.

"I don't understand what it _is_ about my subjects, old and new, that seem to fall like putty in her hands," he snaps out briskly. "But let me say this: I will not tolerate any subterfuge when it comes to Sarah. She. Is. Mine." He snaps out, and Flora is suddenly aware she may be about to witness one of the Goblin King's worst tantrums yet.

Jareth took a mere moment to calmly add, "I will do everything in my power to make sure this ends how it should."

Flora had never felt so far out of her depth. And the worst part was, she realized, was that Sarah was completely oblivious. This girl she hardly knew, but was so sweet and endearing all the same, was walking off into deepest, darkest recesses of the labyrinth, unaware of what kind of state the Goblin King was in.

"Don't hurt her…" Flora whispered.

Jareth had to fight from rolling his eyes. "Oh come on now, Flora. Has age made you simpering and weak? You hardly know her. What does it matter to you her fate?"

Flora has no response, because she couldn't honestly tell him if she had tried. And honestly, a part of her believed the Goblin King wouldn't really understand. It's not as if he was highly regarded across the land as being empathetic and compassionate.

"I grow tired of this. Treachery, weakness," Jareth waves a gloved hand flippantly. "My subjects, as good as they are - _were_ ," he amends, "always end up the same way it seems."

Flora looks up with a questioning glance.

Jareth laughs.

"Dead."


	5. Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A little ahead of schedule with the posting, but figured why not.

" _Oh, but you must travel through those woods again & again…_

_...and you must be lucky to avoid the wolf everytime…_

_But the wolf...the wolf only needs enough luck to find you once."_

_Through the Woods, Emily Carroll_

* * *

Time seemed to stand still here in the labyrinth. Or rather, in this iteration of it. Sarah felt like no matter how many steps she took through the forest, the scenery remained constant. Few signs of animal life tripped her senses, though it was far less barren than that purgatory space where Jareth had first approached her.

Sarah knew the labyrinth was full of tricks and illusions, traps ready to spring the second a wrong move was made, yet she couldn't find the strength to stay vigilant.

She was more preoccupied by the fact that she was barely a few hours into her journey and she had nothing save the clothes on her back. Food and water unfortunately missed the cut, and Sarah anxiously eyed the greenery around her. Now more than ever she wished she had taken girl scouts seriously.

_Not that fruit from the labyrinth means anything...fucking peaches_ , Sarah thought darkly, still bitter over Jareth's sleight of hand.

Sarah finally stopped after what had been nearly two hours. She leaned against an old tree, eyes gazing idly at the canopy of leaves above her. The path was becoming slightly harder to navigate, but surely she was close to the castle beyond the goblin city? That was still a thing right? Sarah rolled her eyes, and her body, so that her forehead was propped against the sturdy tree trunk.

She felt utterly lost and stupid without her friends to guide her.

The sudden growl of her stomach snapped Sarah to attention.

Great.

Looking around wearily, Sarah's eyes landed on some bushes, their contents yielding some soft pink berries. Sarah nearly crowed with delight. What luck!

As she approached the bushes, fingers extended to snag one off the bush, a voice interrupted her.

"FOOLISH!" the voice rang out.

Sarah started, dropping the poor berry in her surprise.

"What?!" Sarah gasped.

"I _said_ , FOOLISH!" The voice reiterated.

The voice, as booming as it was, sounded distant. Close but far at the same time. Sarah was bewildered, unsure of where she was supposed to be looking.

"Oh for goodness' sake! Down here!" The voice snapped.

Sarah's gaze slowly lowered, taking heed of the voice's directions.

Down in the hollowed base of a tree trunk stood a small worm, eyes gazing up at her indignantly.

Sarah nearly broke out into a grin.

"I remember you! You helped me the first time I ran this labyrinth...oh, I see you've traded your scarf for a hat?" Sarah asked conversationally.

"Oh, nah, you must've met my cousin. That Al, always so nosy and beggin' anyone to "come inside, have a cup of tea with the missus!" Bleh," the small worm snorted. "He's a bit of a loon and his missus even loonier if you can believe."

Sarah arched a brow, deciding to set the worm family politics aside. "Do you know if there's anything safe for me to eat around here? I'm guessing those berries I was looking at were no good?"

The worm scoffed. "You would've gone dizzy and fainted, your throat closin' up."

Sarah made a face at the mental imagery.

"I'll tell you this: if it's pink, it'll bring you to the brink. Yellow will keep you mellow. Remember that and you should be fine. Plenty of yellow berries through the forest. You just have to look."

Sarah smiled gratefully. "Thank you...er...I'm afraid I didn't get your name?"

"Hal." The worm stated proudly, standing a little bit taller. "Now come inside! Have a cup of tea!" He gestured toward the hole in the tree.

Sarah blinked, fully aware of the irony, what with Hal giving his dear old cousin Al a good gripe. As Sarah stared at Hal, he blearily blinked back, seemingly unaware of the problem.

Sarah decided she'd just have to let this one go.

"I'm afraid I have to be on my way toward the castle beyond the goblin city. Thank you, Hal!"

"I wouldn't go there if I was you," Hal nodded sagely. "The road from here to the castle, direct as it is, is filled with treachery. 'Sides, the last time a human ran through the labyrinth, the castle was nearly demolished! Boy, the Goblin King was a sore sight to see. And we paid the price," Hal tutted. "Ah, well. Good luck, foolish girl! I call ya foolish because only a fool would try and go to the castle."

Sarah blanched, wondering if he was referencing the time she had run the labyrinth years ago. She assumed that had someone else run the labyrinth since then - and destroyed the castle - he'd be after that poor sod. As it stood, Sarah was most likely the unlucky winner of that title.

And then Sarah felt her stomach turn more when she thought about what kind of fury the Goblin King had wreaked upon the Underground. A darker thought crept along the corners of her mind, imagining what had become of her friends. Had they been personally seen to? Was Jareth truly the kind of being that would go so far?

Once upon a time, when Sarah was fifteen, she would've believed it to never be a possibility, more so out of Jareth's complete lack of interest and less out of benevolence.

But Sarah had caught glimpses of the anger that burned inside of the fae. He appeared to be an individual who never forgot and certainly never forgave. Which, in Sarah's humble opinion, was stupid, considering she behaved the way any labyrinth runner would have. Besides, Sarah won fair and square. He couldn't honestly pretend that he had every right to be angry, could he?

Not that it mattered, Sarah decided ruefully. Here she was, stuck in this same sad spot, fighting now not only for her life, but Toby's as well.

Sarah trudged onward, gathering what yellow berries she could to soothe her grumbling stomach.

Whatever forces laid ahead, Sarah would face them head on.

* * *

As Sarah wandered through the woods, losing track every now and again of the path before her as it steadily lost its clear direction deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, her mind drifted to the mercurial being she loathed and was fascinated by at the same time.

Sarah idly wondered what he was doing this very second. Could he see her now? Was he even watching? Or was he lazing about on his throne amidst his subjects, looking ever the form of regal perfection? Sarah's cheeks flushed, wondering why her brain was giving him so much credit. _Too much credit,_ she thought darkly.

But then...the way he had looked at her. Sarah couldn't shake it. The brazen, unabashed look of complete want. Sarah hadn't remembered him being so bold her first go-around. Then again, Sarah had been fifteen and lost on subtleties. She had been a _child_. And so the ever-mischievous Goblin King had found other ways to seduce her - power, control, luxury...things any teenage girl - awful stepmother or no - would've dreamt of.

Sometimes Sarah would catch herself in that space between awareness and dreams, right before falling asleep in her bed, wondering " _what if?_ " Had she been foolish to dismiss what the fae king had offered so readily? She had always believed the opposite to be true - that she would've been naive for believing him.

And most importantly, Toby was too dear to her to ever consider putting him at risk like she had already once before.

But if Toby hadn't been involved...if Toby hadn't been part of the deal... _like this time around_ , Sarah's mind whispered tantalizingly, mockingly.

It didn't matter anyway, Sarah reasoned. She had already established new terms with the Goblin King. She had been given a second chance and she practically spat at his feet.

Thunder roared in the distance, and Sarah was suddenly shocked out of her musings as the skies opened up and through the tangled canopy, cold rain down poured.

Sarah's hair quickly plastered to her face and she sputtered, wiping the water out of her eyes, blinking furiously.

Just her luck!

Sarah grumbled, stalking through the forest, all wanton thoughts of Jareth transformed into curses and grisly threats. She grimaced as thunder continued to rumble through the area, sending no signal that the rain would let up soon. Shelter was a resource Sarah had a hard time spotting, and she wondered if she would be stuck for the foreseeable future in this downpour.

She would bet all her money - all her student loans, even - that Jareth was also part-time weatherman and orchestrated this.

Tugging her coat higher up, Sarah did her best to step over the gnarled roots and around the deeper puddles.

As she stared ahead at the path before her, Sarah's face nearly crumpled with frustration.

Uphill.

A steep, uphill walk.

Mustering what little strength and energy she felt she had left, Sarah pushed forward, holding her hands out in a feeble attempt to steady herself. Sarah nearly slipped forwards a few times, catching herself either by a tree branch, small shrub, or a rock.

Twenty minutes in and Sarah had been making decent legwork. She would've been much higher up the treacherous incline had it not been for the elements' doing, but she was still getting somewhere.

And then, it happened.

Sarah's boot squelched, and she knew in that instant she had milliseconds to correct her footing. Outstretching her arm, Sarah made to grasp for a lowly hanging tree branch but missed by inches. Overcorrecting, Sarah's left arm made to lunge for a place to balance her body against a boulder, but its surface was slick and unforgiving.

Within a matter of seconds, Sarah found herself tumbling and free falling before her she finally made contact with a giant mud puddle.

A considerable distance from where she had just been moments before.

Sarah nearly howled in frustration, slamming open palms in the muddy pool, uncaring of the uncomfortable sensation of mud oozing between her fingers.

Sarah made to stand and hissed in pain, nearly slipping again as she gingerly touched her hip. Looking down, she saw her jacket had been torn through and in the fall, a sharp branch or jagged edge of a rock must've sliced through the fabric of her shirt.

Things were, for all intents and purposes, going poorly.

The progress Sarah had made had been completely undone, and now her bones ached while her flesh bled. She stood up more carefully, taking her time limping over to the base of a massive tree trunk.

Dropping herself unceremoniously, Sarah heaved a sigh, drawing her knees up to her chest as her chin nestled between them.

The urge to cry had seized her body, her eyes beginning to glisten, the tell-tale signs of a good cryfest in the works.

It had been what, four hours? _Four and a half_ , she thought darkly as she spent a cursory glance toward her watch. Four and a half hours and she had _nothing_ to show for her journey thus far.

Suddenly, full-bodied sobs wracked through Sarah's frame.

She couldn't even pinpoint why she was crying. Normally, Sarah was the go getter type. Throw a challenge her way, and Sarah Williams would make it her mission to succeed. She was dauntless, a force to be reckoned, even at the ripe age of fifteen.

But here she was, more of a woman than she had ever _thought_ herself to be those six years prior, and she could do nothing but sob.

Perhaps it was due to the current failure of being unable to even conquer a hill. Perhaps it was the fear of Toby being snatched away again, forever destined to be turned into some hideous goblin-like beast. Perhaps it was the fear that Sarah had given up on the chance to have her dreams, to some degree.

"Self pity is a look I do not suggest, my dear."

Sarah startled, glancing up and nearly hissed when she saw the form of the Goblin King standing before her, tall and regal as ever. The rain somehow seemed to fall _away_ and off of Jareth, as if an invisible barrier were erected over him.

"Go away," Sarah snarled, embarrassed that the Goblin King had seen her this way, sad and pathetic. He must've been delighted.

If Jareth was in fact overjoyed to see her miserable state, he did little to show it. A small mercy.

"I see the labyrinth is treating you well?" He smirked, a ghost of laughter in his tone.

Sarah glowered, making to rise up to meet him but gasped as she felt the pain in her left side flare again at her sudden movement.

Jareth arched a brow in what appeared to be concern. Sarah blinked furiously, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but when she snapped her attention back to Jareth, there was nothing to suggest what she thought she had seen. She had to internally roll her eyes at her stupidity.

He wouldn't care. If anything, he had somehow sensed through some kind of magic - _the force_ , Sarah internally snorted - that she had been injured. And like a wolf catching sight of the weakest deer in the herd, had instantly seized upon his opportunity.

His opportunity to relentlessly mock her and irritate her and rob her of all hope for running the labyrinth successfully.

Instead, he crouched before her and gently lifted a gloved hand to reach for her side, barely grasping the thin, soaked through fabric of Sarah's shirt and pulling it up to observe the wound. It was an ugly bruise, already blooming with purples and greens. Blood had also been caked on her skin, dribbling from the mouth of a nasty gash. Fortunately, it didn't appear to be too deep or wide.

Sarah hissed, less out of pain and more out of surprise when the cool leather of Jareth's gloved fingertips made contact with her flesh.

"Stop it," Sarah whispered, unable to drag her eyes away from his hand on her skin.

She felt like a cornered, wild animal, perhaps the way a prey animal felt as its killer and simultaneous savior came to deliver the killing blow, putting an end to its misery.

But Sarah didn't know if it was misery Jareth would be saving her from or if it would be him completely destroying her protective barriers. She had so desperately shut him out of her mind all those years ago, not so much terrified of him and his power, but the power he had over her body, and in turn, her mind.

"Stop what?" He murmured in response, fingertips never leaving her side, his own eyes staying upon her wound.

Sarah trembled, whether from the cold or his touch she had no clue. " _Stop_ ," she breathed out, afraid of the proximity between them.

For some reason, she could only believe that physical proximity would spell trouble for her. More trouble than she had already put herself in.

Slowly, almost regretfully it seemed, the Goblin King withdrew his hand. He did not, however, draw farther away from her huddled form against the tree.

A slow, feral grin spread across his lips, and Sarah felt her insides roil.

"You're frightened of me, Sarah dear?" A cat playing with its future lunch.

Sarah's throat bobbed in response.

"Lost for words? A rare occasion," he remarked.

"I thought you wouldn't interfere," Sarah whispered, ignoring his jabs.

The Goblin King stilled, features settling into something unreadable.

"Your wound looks bad enough. Nothing to worry about too much, but nevertheless."

Sarah's eyes narrowed, feeling some sliver of courage push through. "And so out of your _good will_ ," Sarah enunciated with venom she didn't know she possessed, "you came to check up on me? Or are you just sad to see the fall didn't do me in?" She sneered.

Like metal struck by flint, sparks of white hot rage seemed to burn alive on the Goblin King's imperious face. Sarah had the good sense to look frightened, the catty attitude dying as quickly as it had sprang to life.

"You are a damn _fool_ ," the Goblin King snarled, furiously slamming a fist on the left side of Sarah's head, narrowly missing her skull and cracking the rough bark of the tree, the sound like an explosion next to Sarah's ear. The minimal distance between her face and his fist was intentional, that much Sarah knew. A warning.

Sarah's heart thumped wildly against her ribcage, threatening to burst out.

"Everything I say goes in one ear and out the other. You assume all the wrong things, and I'm beginning to wonder if you truly are so vapid of a girl?"

The words stung, hitting their mark.

"You're the fool!" Sarah shot back, vaguely aware she was spitting a jab equivalent to playground tactics Toby would be fond of. "If you're suggesting you actually _care_ , you wouldn't be making me go through this in the first place!" Sarah hollered over the continuous rumbling of thunder.

"I see you once again completely remove all of your autonomy from the equation," he snapped, this time ignoring her protests and yanking her shirt up before laying his palm flat against her skin.

Warmth flooded the skin around the wound in a gentle, soothing manner, the way the tide might lazily ebb and flow from sandy shores. Sarah nearly marveled at the way the discolored skin cleared up and the gash slowly but surely sealed itself back up, as if it had never existed in the first place.

The stinging pain and aches she felt had all but vanished.

Once he was sure it was done, Jareth removed his hands, his mismatched eyes never leaving Sarah's moss-colored ones.

The sound of rain seemed to drown out all the noise in the forest, and it was as though they were the only two beings on this plane of existence. Sarah's mind was buzzing, that faint electricity rippling through her, almost pleasantly. Had her nerves not been so frazzled, she might've even enjoyed the sensation.

"Why." A statement more than a question.

Jareth's nostrils flared with silent anger.

"Must you ask, stupid girl?" The words, antagonistic as they were, lacking any real venom.

Sarah was acutely aware of the warmth pooling in her stomach, the flush her cheeks must've been showing off so openly, even in the heavy shade of the massive tree and darkness-sealing canopy of leaves.

She was also suddenly painfully aware of the way her rain soaked shirt clung to every inch of her skin, and the Goblin King made no move to hide his notice.

Sarah felt her left wrist pulse with something otherworldly, and her chest heaved as her eyes roved over his lips.

Within seconds, the Goblin King had her wrists trapped in his hands up above her head as he had her back slammed up against the tree.

His mouth was upon hers and Sarah was lost to his touch. Her body throbbed, begging for his mouth and hands to explore beyond just her mouth, and the Goblin King appeared more than willing to supply. His hands left her wrists, cupping her cheeks, roving down her breasts, grazing over her stomach, gripping her hips, continuously dominating and curious all the same, desperate to know her in a way she had never let him before.

While he never showed it, Sarah sensed the hunger in his kiss. The way his lips not only kissed her thoroughly, but explored every inch of her mouth, taking her in, marking her as his own.

Sarah was dazed, but even more than that, completely enraptured. She wished for nothing more than for him to put his tongue elsewhere, mostly at the apex of her thighs.

As Sarah lifted her hands to lazily wrap themselves around his neck, she caught a glance of her watch, its unseeing face ticking ominously.

She had less than seven hours.

Less than seven hours, and she had no idea where she even was anymore. Or furthermore, how close she was to the center of the labyrinth.

The Goblin King happened to bite her lip rather hard at the same moment, and Sarah gasped, shoving back against him hard.

"Get _OFF_ me!" Sarah snarled, pushing herself back up against the trunk of the tree, lips swollen, shirt rumpled, her lungs gulping back air gratefully.

The Goblin King scowled right back.

"And here I thought you were enjoying my touch, _Sarah_ ," he whispered huskily, a gloved thumb grazing her bottom lip teasingly.

Without thinking, without registering the enormity of the impact of her words, Sarah declared:

"Alex kissed me far better than you."

If Sarah had thought she had seen the Goblin King show anger, she had been very, very wrong.

Jareth's features darkened, twisting into something altogether unreal. His face had seemingly turned to stone, sharp and unyielding. As though he were doing everything in his power to prevent himself from unleashing the full weight of his anger upon her.

"You, Sarah Williams, my dear, dear hellcat, are going to regret your words," Jareth whispered, gripping his fingers in her hair sharply, painfully, so that her face was mere centimeters away from his.

As if hearing her silent plea, Jareth slowly released her from his iron grip, eyes hard as flint staring down at her.

"You had better run, Sarah."

She gulped, breath hitching in her throat.

"You had better run, because the next time I find you will be the last." His anger came out sharp and cold, brittle as ice.

It was not a suggestion, but a promise.

Without a moment longer, Sarah scrambled to her feet and didn't waste any time looking back to see the Goblin King's form disappear, leaving nothing but shimmering dust in his wake.


	6. Dreams

By the time Sarah finally felt safe enough to pause, her legs were shot. She was never the most athletic individual, but she had somehow found it in her to run as though her life depended on it.

Mostly because it did.

She had never seen the kind of fury Jareth had just displayed. Even when she had so carelessly, and if she were being honest, unintentionally, beaten his labyrinth, never had he expressed this kind of raw, untamed emotion. She supposed he couldn't really be too mad back then since he hadn't actually _lost_ anything...but then Sarah had gone and squarely rejected him.

Not just rejection of his requests, of his offers...but of his very existence as a man, it seemed.

Sarah hadn't really understood herself why she said what she said...Alex had hardly meant anything to her, even when she was dating him.

Perhaps because a small part of her found it satisfying to know she _was_ in fact capable of pissing him off. He wasn't the only one who got to throw cutting words around.

Unfortunately for Sarah, Jareth's weak point seemed to come with the cost of her own undoing.

Kneeling beside a small stream, Sarah cupped some water in her palms and splashed it across her face, attempting to rinse off the dirt and grime and maybe even the ghost of Jareth's kiss that still heated her lips.

She couldn't believe how _stupid_ she had been. She may as well have spread her legs and let him take her fully. Sarah's face burned at the memory, the way he caressed her, dominated her…

She shook her head. Those kind of thoughts were not helping. Besides, he hadn't done it necessarily because he was so _overcome_ with desire for her. Sarah internally snorted at the thought. No, the Goblin King couldn't handle losing, couldn't handle being rejected...and so he was going to make certain that he would come out the victor in all this.

But then Sarah shuddered as his last words echoed hauntingly in her mind.

( _You had better run…_

_...You had better run, because the next time I find you will be the last_ )

Those words had held darkness and possession in them, to be sure, but Sarah had also heard the faint hint of complete certainty. Sarah may have been courageous, unbowed...but Jareth was the master orchestrator of this whole thing. She was capable, to a degree, but Jareth had always been one step ahead, able to read her moves before she even knew they were available to her.

And at this point, Sarah was bound to lose.

Taking in her surroundings, Sarah realized she had lost sight completely of the path, unable to even decipher where north pointed. The urge to ball her hands into fists and stomp on the earth was all-consuming, but Sarah knew there was no point.

It hit her then, clearly and so directly despite knowing all along, that she was utterly alone in this world.

Before, she had the help from Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo, even Ambrosius, cowardly as he was. But now, she was flying through this solo, and she hated to admit that she didn't even know how to call upon them anymore. She hadn't dared try when she had returned from her first trip through the labyrinth. Looking back, she was unsure why. Perhaps because calling upon them would confirm that she had truly been in the Underground, through hell and back, that her business with the Goblin King was far from over...and she wanted nothing more than to pretend her life was perfectly normal.

And normal didn't include having Goblin Kings snatch your baby brother, hold them for ransom, and then trick you into being bound to said babysnatcher for the rest of your life…

Sarah glowered at her abstract reflection in the water.

Boy, she had really fucked this one up.

Maybe it would've been a better use of her time here in the labyrinth to begin planning concessions she would make and not make under Jareth's rule.

But the thought of being trapped here, forever, with only Jareth (plus some pretty dumb goblins for subjects) was a depressing thought for Sarah. He was handsome, a fantastic kisser...but that was about the bare minimum for most of Sarah's dating requirements anyway. What Jareth offered her was nice, but nothing to sign away her life and freedom for.

And so she resolutely squared her shoulders, eyeing her reflection in the water, satisfied to see that she didn't look too horrible.

"Well, Hoggle," she mused quietly, "if you're out there...I'd really like to see you right now." She stifled a weak laugh. "I think a visit has been long overdue...I'm sorry. Really. And now I'm in this mess again and I'm doing no better than I did before." She stared silently, almost expectantly, as though Hoggle's reflection would appear beside hers.

Sighing, Sarah got up to her feet and decided she would have to do with the only person she had - herself.

At this point, Sarah didn't know where exactly to go. Flora had been her only source of information, and now she had strayed too far from the path, no thanks to Jareth. Was there even a point to trying to mark her way? She remembered the first time she had been here, cleverly thinking that her lipstick-turned-chalk would help keep track of her footsteps, but then the labyrinth had turned that plan on its head.

She could try, but it would be a lesson in futility, much like the whole labyrinth itself.

"Think, Sarah, think…" she muttered to herself, tapping an impatient foot.

Glancing upwards, Sarah's brow furrowed in annoyance but determination. It wasn't much of a plan, but perhaps she could find some higher ground, gain a better vantage point and seek out a landmark. Surely the castle would have spires stretching up to meet the sky, and if that were the case, she could estimate a rough pathway leading there.

Sarah shed her jacket and tied it around her waist, rolling up her dampened sleeves before stepping up to what appeared to be one of the taller trees in the area. She wasn't sure how much stamina or upper body strength she had, and her gym coaches had always been somewhat dismayed by her performance, to put it lightly, but today was when her abilities counted most.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah gave a running start before lunging up to the tree. She grunted, grasping a low-hanging branch before pulling her body upward with all her might. With a bit of a struggle, Sarah had managed to heave herself up on the branch and was spurred by this first success.

Luckily for her, the branches had been stacked together tightly, and so ascending the tree proved to be less of a challenge than she imagined.

Willing herself to not look down, Sarah cast her eyes upward, breaking through the canopy of leaves. Tentatively craning her neck, careful to maintain her grip, Sarah looked off into the distance beyond the thicket of greenery.

Sarah's triumph was short-lived.

While she hadn't expected to suddenly be closer than ever, the castle beyond the goblin city shined like a distant gem, beautiful, but unattainable. Not that she could afford to think like that. Not when Toby, unbeknownst to him, depended on her.

The land sprawled before her, mountainous areas speckled with streams of blue as rivers cut through. Forests as bright as emeralds littered the landscape, shielding what growth laid beneath its glittering canopy. It was nearly impossible to judge how treacherous the labyrinth was when she could hardly make out any one way of reaching the center.

Furthermore, Sarah knew it wasn't just what lay atop the ground, but what was hidden beneath. Perhaps she had to really open her eyes again to see the true path. After all, a friendly little worm had once set her on the right path.

( _Well, you ain't lookin' right, it's full of openings…_

_...it's just you ain't seen 'em yet_ )

Sarah smiled to herself. Jareth was perhaps counting on her to be overwhelmed, uncaring of the lessons she had learned the first time around. But she would prove him wrong. If there was thing Sarah was good at, it was being stubborn.

Pulled back to the task at hand, Sarah paled.

She hadn't exactly considered the return trip to the ground below.

With great care, Sarah slowly settled each foot carefully, testing out the sturdiness of every branch before fully committing her weight to it. And like this, she continued at a snail's pace, afraid that the slightest misstep would send her tumbling down as she did earlier. Except this time, there would be no Goblin King to heal her. No, she rather guessed he would be delighted to see her in a weakened state this time. Any pleasantries and peacemaking the fae had been devising must've flown out the window the second Sarah dared to compare him to some college-aged boy. Sarah had to internally roll her eyes at how predictably male even the Goblin King could be, getting all worked up over some boy that fumbled through kisses and sex and was on the whole, entirely unsatisfying.

Sarah was snapped out of her thoughts and gasped as her foot slipped against the rough bark before righting itself, and she clung tighter than ever against the trunk of the tree, willing herself to take in deep, calming breaths before continuing her descent.

With every step down, Sarah cursed Jareth's name. She cursed him for putting her in this sore spot, cursed him for throwing her off her game, and cursed him just to curse him because it was the next best thing she could do short of punching him square in that fae face of his.

Sarah released a breath she hadn't known she was holding when she at last made contact with the earthen floor. Feeling proud of her ability to scale a decently-sized tree, Sarah surveyed her surroundings with newfound confidence.

All she really had to do was look, right? _After all, things aren't what they seem_ , Sarah thought wryly.

Moving forward, due northeast, Sarah decided to reframe how she looked at the world she was in.

And funnily enough, the world appeared to open up to her in entirely different ways. She opened up her senses and allowed sensations she had ignored to fully be invited into her space. She could smell scents that stood out from the general earthy ones, perhaps flora that were native only to a world like the Underground. She could hear the barest whisper of what sounded like fairy wings paired with tinny laughter.

And if she really allowed herself to be taken by this world, she could see doors that didn't look like doors upon the first glance.

Sarah smiled to herself, further impressed by her own ability to navigate the Underground six years later, barren of the supports she had had the first time.

"Take that, you pompous, arrogant, good-for-nothing- _AH_!" Sarah's insulting monologue was cut short as the ground gave way and down a hole she fell.

The fall wasn't too far, and so Sarah fell with a sound thump, her bottom thoroughly bruised.

"Are you _KIDDING_ me?!" Sarah exclaimed, glancing skyward at the tiny sphere of light that marked the entrance of where she had fallen through.

It seemed that as easily as the labyrinth giveth, it taketh. Sarah's patience was swiftly running out, that much she was certain of.

"I can't believe this, of all things…" Sarah stood up, gently massaging her bruised backside.

An oubliette.

A fucking oubliette.

( _It's a place you put people…_

_...to forget about 'em_ )

Well, Sarah would be damned if she let anyone forget about her.

The oubliette was dark and smelled of dust, truly living up to its name - a place where things were forgotten, discarded.

Sarah scanned the room, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dimness. She remembered the first time she had been in one, how Hoggle had shown her the way out. A door that was not a door. A wall that was not a wall.

Nothing helpful stood out to her. Perhaps a labyrinth dweller would see something she could not, but as of right now, she appeared to be trapped. And no amount of scaling great heights would get her out of this latest dilemma.

"This can't be the end…" Sarah murmured, looking once more around the prison, thinking, silently pleading for something to come to mind or spring into the foreground.

Maybe Sarah was looking at things the wrong way. Maybe she was looking for a door when the way out was something else entirely. The labyrinth was never as it seemed, and Jareth himself had warned her to not count on things being as they once were.

Because really, if she thought about it, the labyrinth was just full of tricks and illusions. Gimmicks designed to confuse and frustrate its runners. There had to be some sort of giveaway, more subtle to the unaware, untrained human eye, but there nonetheless.

She looked around the oubliette once more, desperately searching for something she may have missed initially. What she saw didn't appeal to her or scream " _solution_."

And maybe she had opened her senses a little _too_ much, because Sarah swore she could hear the faint scurrying of a rat, which brought her absolutely zero comfort.

It was beginning to become quite clear to Sarah that she was not outsmarting anyone this time. The oubliette had proven to be her match, as annoyed as she was to admit it.

She debated calling out, asking if anyone were around who could help her. But then she wondered if that was like asking someone, or rather, something, to come attack her when she was most defenseless. Could Jareth hear her if she called? Did it matter if she tried to lay low? He could probably tell where she was at any given moment, considering he had been able to find her back when it had been raining. Then again, he had said the next time he saw her would be the last, so perhaps he wasn't as all-seeing as she had initially presumed? In any case, Sarah didn't really have the capacity or wherewithal to care.

Sarah decided it was worth a gamble, to see if friend or foe would appear.

"HEY! Can somebody hear me?! I'm stuck!" Sarah waited a few moments, with no answer greeting her. Pulling in a lungful of air, Sarah bellowed out, "HEY! IS ANYONE THERE?" Her cheeks flushed with the effort, eyes scanning the bright light above.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Sarah slumped to the ground in an undignified heap, attempting to let her brain settle down for a few moments before she entered a state of pure panic. As she numbly went through any potential escape plan, her mind briefly conjured up the idea that Hoggle might appear all of a sudden as he once had, there to lead her to the exit.

Though at the time, he had only been managing to appear at the right times because of Jareth's bidding. And well, she didn't exactly want Jareth fetching her any time soon.

Sarah sighed and sulked, idly picking at small pebbles strewn about, flicking them off in the distance angrily. Every time she heard the _thunk!_ of a pebble hitting the solid dirt, she hurled another. With every toss of the pebble, Sarah cursed Jareth, her latest pastime.

"Stupid."

_Thunk!_

"Rotten."

_Thunk!_

"Condescending."

Sarah started when the last pebble failed to make a sound. She had been throwing in the same general direction, at what she assumed was the other end of the small prison.

Curious, Sarah palmed another pebble in her hand before throwing it further.

This time, if Sarah strained her ears, she could hear the tell-tale sound of the pebble connecting with a liquid surface as it made a tiny splash.

Rushing to rise up to her feet, Sarah darted in the direction of where she had heard the sound. It seemed that she had missed something after all, hidden within the oubliette. Perhaps another thing meant to be forgotten.

Dropping to her hands and knees, Sarah moved carefully, unsure of just what was awaiting her at the other end of the oubliette.

Skimming the floor with her hands, she suddenly felt her right hand sink into cool liquid, which she could only guess was water. Sarah lifted her hand out and then plunged it back in, attempting to see just how deep the pool went. She couldn't even tell how wide it was.

She was startled to discover that her submerged hand made no contact with watery ground. Gripping the ledge with her left hand, Sarah stretched out her right arm further, attempting to see if there was a bottom to this pool in reach.

With a sudden force, Sarah felt her arm get further dragged into the water, as if something were pulling it, beckoning her to join it in its watery home. Sarah gasped, attempting to pull her arm back, desperately holding onto the ledge with her other hand, fearful of what may happen should whatever it was successfully drag her in.

Just as Sarah thought she was able to pull free, a sudden lurch pitched her forward and she found herself in the water, struggling to make sense of what was happening. She kicked her legs furiously, attempting to swim back to the surface, but whatever force had pulled her through was determined to keep her below.

Like a vortex swirling about, Sarah felt her body get whipped around in the waters, unable to maintain any direction.

Through it all, Sarah felt the faintest of throbs on her left wrist, a sort of pulsating sensation. But she couldn't afford to think about it as she felt the last bits of air escaping her body, water threatening to fill her lungs. One wrong move and she would find herself drowned.

As Sarah fought to swim upwards, she had the terrifying realization that in this pitch blackness, she had lost all sense of what was up, what was down, and where she even was. The bottom of this pool? Close to the surface? Spreading out her hands, she felt no cool air blow past.

_I'm going to die here_...Sarah's mind whispered quietly, meekly.

And then, as if whatever force that had been pulling her had been at the edge of the door of her mind, listening to her thoughts, Sarah felt a tremendous pressure as she was yanked further down. Tumbling through, Sarah gasped in surprise but was cut short as water rushed in, choking her.

Sarah's mind was in a frenzy, but before she could even register her fast-approaching death, she felt her body being pushed by the water _upwards_?

In one giant wave, Sarah's body crested the surface of the pool and was deposited carelessly on the grassy surface before settling down into gentle waves.

Sarah sputtered and gasped, coughing up any and all water she could out of her lungs. She fought to breathe, startled and in pain by the sheer amount of water exiting her body.

When she could finally do no more, Sarah groggily took in her surroundings, expecting to be greeted by the darkness of the oubliette.

Instead, her eyes burned and she winced, using a hand to shield her face.

Blearily, Sarah adjusted to the sudden light and had to fight the complete and utter surprise.

She was outside, in the middle of a sunny forest, with a small, crystal blue lake happily reflecting back the sun's rays.

Where on earth had she traveled? And furthermore, _what_ helped her get here?

Not that she had any idea where she was, but it was better than being trapped in an oubliette where everyone, even Jareth, would forget her.

Sarah began to laugh, outright _laugh_ , from the sheer knowledge that no matter what, the labyrinth seemed to ultimately teeter in her favor. That despite Jareth warning her, mocking her...the labyrinth always found a way to lead her exactly where she needed.

Her wrist pulsated again, shocking Sarah out of her reveries.

It didn't hurt so much as snag her attention, like a quick zap from static electricity. This wasn't the first time it had made its presence known either. Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow related to the labyrinth, maybe even Jareth.

Sarah's head began to throb, the oncoming of a headache no doubt. She gently grasped her temples, massaging her fingertips against the sore area, willing whatever headache was about to come to stay away for just a while longer. She needed all the brainpower she had to focus on her bearings, on this game-that-was-not-a-game.

Without much warning, flashes of images - memories? - sailed through her mind, things that didn't make sense yet felt familiar, as though she had once experienced these things in a past life.

She remembered the touch of soft lips, searing her wrist. Her eyelids fluttering close as she fought the urge to throw her head back as hands roamed her body.

And as quickly as the images had come, they vanished, and Sarah was left feeling confused and oddly empty, as though something had been stolen from her.

Sarah blinked slowly, wondering what had just happened.

Had those been actual memories? Were they just illusions, images conjured up by the labyrinth - Jareth - to confuse her and throw her off her game? There _had_ been that initial moment when she first arrived in the labyrinth where she had lost time...

Sarah was forced to wave it off, because even though it worried her, she only had straws to grasp at. It was easier to believe that Jareth was just an ass who took time off her clock just because he could.

( _I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down…_

… _and I have done it all for you_ )

Sarah felt a pit in her stomach, like she had unwittingly done something that she hadn't really understood the repercussions of. It wouldn't be the first time. Smart as she was, Sarah wasn't always the quickest learner and the labyrinth proved to be a strict teacher.

What scared Sarah even more, as she slowly took in these observations, is that she felt less and less connected to her world, the place above the Underground.

If she wracked her brain hard enough, she remembered being in college, her friends, her family, and of course dear Toby…

But they felt like people she had known lifetimes ago.

Her memories of them felt distant, as if looking through a foggy mirror. She knew them, could identify them, but it was with a detached state of mind.

"I am Sarah Williams, I'm twenty one years old, and I'm here to make good on my promise...to keep Toby safe. Toby, Toby, Toby…" Sarah whispered softly, repeating his name as if it could somehow keep her tethered to reality, _her_ reality, not the twisted one of the Underground.

"Sarah…?"

Sarah jolted, looking back over her shoulder.

Her mossy eyes widened in surprise.

" _Hoggle_!" Tears nearly brimmed to the surface. In the midst of her sudden fears of forgetting, an old friend had appeared, one that she had initially sworn she would never forget and had, through blissful ignorance, ended up taking for granted the fact that he would always reside in a small place of her heart, content to have just known her for those scant thirteen hours. Thirteen hours that, at the time, had felt like an eternity.

"Sarah, for God's sake! How did you end up back here? Why?"

Sarah paused. "Hoggle...Hoggle, I really don't know what kind of mess I've gotten myself into," Sarah whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, as if to create a protective barrier. "I had made it out of the labyrinth the last time, but I guess it came with a price." Sarah gave a brittle laugh, one that sounded strange and tinny.

Snapping her attention back to the dwarf, Sarah offered a tentative smile. "I was worried about you, you know. After I left the labyrinth, I wasn't sure what Ja-the Goblin King," Sarah quickly amended, "was going to do."

Hoggle took a few steps closer, still struck by what he saw.

Sarah, his old friend, who while still youthful, had lost that childish gleam. She was radiant as ever, despite looking like she had been through a hurricane, and he could still see that familiar twinkle in her grass-colored eyes. The twinkle that told him despite her getting older, she hadn't truly left behind her dreams.

But then, Hoggle wondered, what had happened? Why hadn't she called upon them?

"You never called," was all Hoggle could manage to choke out. It sounded more accusatory than he meant, and it was clear Sarah felt it too by the way she flinched.

"Oh, Hoggle...I know. I should've. But I didn't, and I can't change that. I'm so sorry. So, so sorry," Sarah whispered.

Hoggle appeared to tear up himself but in his gruff fashion let out a soft " _bah_ " earning an amused look from Sarah. How very like him.

"Weren't you s'pose to be done with this?" Hoggle gestured toward the space around them, indicating the labyrinth itself. Sarah noted Hoggle had easily and very obviously skirted around the more pressing topic of their reunion.

"I thought I would be too. But Hoggle, I was so stupid. So, so stupid. I made a deal with him, a deal that I had nearly forgotten about and never knew what it actually meant. And, well…" Sarah shrugged her shoulders, as if to say " _and well, here I am_."

"You made a deal?" Hoggle's eyes widened. " _Sarah_!" His tone coming out like a reprimand. "You of all people should know better than to do _that_!" Hoggle exclaimed. "He's ruthless, and a monster, and you'll be stu-" Hoggle trailed off, seeing the frail expression on Sarah's face. He guessed that whatever he had been saying, she'd been thinking to herself this whole time.

"I didn't have a choice," Sarah bit out. "You know I could never let him harm Toby. He's my baby brother. And you know I would never give myself up to him. But…" Sarah trailed off. Time was running shorter and shorter, and if it came down to Toby or Sarah being Jareth's spoils, she'd rather spare Toby. She would always choose Toby again and again.

Though the memory of him was becoming something less and less tangible.

"I know, Sarah," Hoggle replied. He knew all too well that Sarah's crutch was her baby brother. Hoggle vaguely wondered what the babe looked like now. Humans aged so quickly, and the last he remembered, Toby had been a small, cherubic thing, tucked in the arms of what might've been the devil himself, that Jareth.

"Hoggle, it's the strangest thing," Sarah confided, her voice a low whisper. "I feel like I'm losing my grip on reality. Or well, my reality.

"Toby's so important to me, and I know he's partly the reason I'm doing this all over again...but I feel like I'm forgetting things. Not entirely, but just…things feel hazier," Sarah finished lamely, eyes rising up to meet Hoggle's.

Hoggle felt a growing sense of dread in his stomach. He had felt it before he even saw her, if he was being honest. The labyrinth seemed so uniquely altered by her presence, and that included Jareth. It was as if she tipped the scales and threw whatever careful balance existed in the Underground entirely off.

"When you made that bargain...what exactly did you offer up to him?"

"Me. Or I suppose, my freedom." Sarah laughed without mirth. "I'd be here in the Underground, just like he's wanted since the beginning."

And it was true.

Once the hands on the watch struck thirteen hours, Sarah would be a prisoner of the labyrinth, stuck for god knows how long, maybe an eternity? The thought of being immortal in this world, stuck with the Goblin King, sent a chill down her spine.

Wait.

_Wait_.

Sarah's mouth dropped in surprise.

"Hoggle! Oh, _Hoggle_!" Sarah cried. "I'm such a fool! I can't believe I've been so stupid. So so stupid!" Sarah's hands balled into fists.

Hoggle looked on in confusion and worry, wondering what had suddenly stricken Sarah so badly.

"I did more than bargain away my freedom," she said with a grave tone.

"I ain't followin'..."

"My memories...my dreams... _me_."

Sarah remembered the tales of what happened to babes wished away to the evil clutches of the Goblin King; they were turned into hideous little creatures, forever destined to roam the Underground unable to return to the safety of their beds and family's loving embrace.

But the Goblin King had different ideas for a grown woman, one who was no longer a child and scared by such things.

No, he had crafted a fate far worse for an individual who had just fallen off the edge into adulthood, one who was filled with endless hopes and equally endless insecurities. Young adults who so desperately wanted to leave their marks on the world, to prove that their existence meant something.

Sarah Williams had offered up her soul.

And the longer she spent down here, the less viable her connection to the world above remained. It hadn't occurred to her that Jareth, while desiring the physical side of things to be sure, had desired something else beyond all that.

He wanted her _entirely_ , and that entailed having the parts of her that made her so uniquely Sarah.

Her dreams, her memories, her desires…

Jareth hadn't bargained on losing with her since the beginning.

And Sarah had somehow fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.


	7. Tricks

For so long, Sarah's childish dreams and ambitions had centered around being a star. Her mother had set the bar high, being the apple of Sarah's eye. Whatever her mother did, Sarah recalled wanting to emulate and elevate.

Perhaps it had been the only way Sarah knew how to fill the gap that was missing, to establish some connection to her mother who couldn't be tethered to a family, too lost in the pursuit of acting and fame. If her mother couldn't notice Sarah as a daughter, maybe she would notice her as a fellow actress, a star shining as brightly as she did.

Her mother may have forgotten her daughter, but Sarah would make sure that her legacy as an actress would be noticed. She would make sure she was unforgettable.

And for a time, Sarah had been on that track, signing up for all the school plays, helping out as a stagehand for theaters in the park. She was good at it too.

But then the labyrinth happened, and Sarah found even pretending to be someone she was not, to live in a world she did not, intolerable.

Sarah had realized, with the bitterness that growing into a young adult brings, that she had been chasing all the wrong things. Her mother would never notice her, would never care about her, and couldn't even be bothered to remember her.

So with grim resolve and fierce determination, the way Sarah handled all challenges, she had given up the mantle and settled for attempting to search for more practical interests, more stable pursuits.

Despite it all, Sarah _had_ become unforgettable.

The girl who so longed to be noticed, who wished more than anything that people would recognize her, had been remembered by the labyrinth.

It latched to her and like a siren's song, had lured her back. Taking pieces of her along the way, attempting to capture her very soul.

And what _was_ a soul?

One could describe it in a few ways, Sarah supposed.

Immaterial, the embodiment of one's being, the very nature of who a person was.

Her dreams, her hopes, her ambitions...these were all key factors that made up different fractions of Sarah's soul.

And what could be more devastating than losing it all? Becoming nothing more than the very vessel that held her soul. She would be reduced to a pretty human shell, forever stuck as a young, empty thing, devoid of any real human life.

A doll, so to speak.

And Sarah Williams would be damned if she gave up the essence of who she was, to Jareth least of all.

_But oh my god, ohmygod, ohmygod_ Sarah's mind whispered breathlessly, terrified of the ramifications. The idea of her body existing without _her_. It was the complete and utter loss of control that freaked Sarah out more than anything. She would exist as a body, forever bound to do Jareth's bidding.

And her soul?

Well, who knew what Jareth would do with it.

Or maybe it was the labyrinth that would find a use for it. Sarah could never truly tell what the relationship was between the Goblin King and the labyrinth. At times it appeared Jareth ruled the labyrinth, while at others, he acted as though bound to laws he had no control over.

Either way, a victory for one seemed to be a victory for the other, and Sarah couldn't tolerate a reality where that outcome was possible.

"Sarah…" Hoggle's voice gently tugged Sarah away from her thoughts, an anchor to the present.

Sarah blinked, looking at him before shaking her head and giving a soft laugh. "I really messed up this time, Hoggle. I should've known better." Tears threatened to resurface and Sarah stubbornly flicked them away. "How did you find me anyway?"

Hoggle shrugged. "I heard you calling my name, saw your reflection in the water. You looked scared and alone. An' besides! I always said I would be there when you call upon us." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the universe, as though it were a simple equation yielding predictable results.

Sarah's heart threatened to burst, once again remembering just how much she had taken her friends for granted.

"Hoggle…" Sarah whispered. Before he could do anything else, Sarah sunk to her knees and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Thank you. Thank you," she whispered.

Hoggle was reminded vividly of the time Sarah had hugged him and given him a peck on the cheek, so ignorant of what the Goblin King had promised should she show him affection.

( _If she ever kisses you, I'll turn you into a prince…_

_...Prince of the Land of Stench!_ )

Hoggle felt shame alight within him and was nearly pushed to shoving Sarah off of him, fearful of what the Goblin King would do.

Because Hoggle knew that Jareth, while technically having lost the battle, had never planned on losing the war.

And most telling of all, Hoggle saw the slight glimmer on Sarah's wrist. It had been impossible to miss, what being an inhabitant of the labyrinth himself.

Jareth had never intended to let Sarah go, he could tell that much.

"What is it, Hoggle?" Sarah pulled back, a questioning look written across her eyes.

"It's-it's nothin'!" He said with little conviction. "So you need to get to the center of the labyrinth again, I'm guessin'?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed, not missing for a second the way Hoggle averted his gaze and switched subjects with less finesse than Toby after being caught with an extra helping of dessert.

"Hoggle...what's going on?" Sarah asked with a hard edge. She knew when he was withholding information, information that was more than likely very vital. She folded her arms across her chest, rising to her full height to show Hoggle she wasn't about to be dissuaded.

"It's nothin'! Really," Hoggle exclaimed, refusing to give in.

One more second of Sarah glaring at him, and Hoggle knew when to throw in the towel. Besides, he had wronged her before, and he would be damned if he let the Goblin King get in the way again.

"Your wrist," he gestured a finger in the direction of her left wrist.

Sarah grabbed at it unconsciously, brows furrowing. "What of it?" Panic tinged her voice. How had Hoggle known it had been feeling strange?

"D'you...d'you remember anything happening? To it in particular?"

"No…" Sarah began, before unbidden memories flooded her mind again. Feather soft hair brushing her skin, lips grazing her skin, stars bursting behind her eyes...Sarah paled, wondering more and more what happened in that lost hour. But the writing was on the wall - she couldn't ignore it now.

Jareth had once again manipulated the situation, taken advantage of her vulnerabilities.

And she could barely remember, his doing no doubt.

"So what does this mean? What does it _mean_ , Hoggle?!" Sarah exclaimed, tears of panic and frustration bubbling up to the surface once more.

Before Hoggle could even open his mouth, Sarah was furiously scratching and clawing at her wrist, desperate to take whatever mark of his off of her. She couldn't see it, but just knowing about it had her skin feeling itchy and raw. His touch burned and seared her, both in body and mind.

Tears of hot anger blurred her vision and she was vaguely aware of Hoggle's hand grasping hers firmly, snatching it away from her now bleeding wrist.

" _Sarah_!" Hoggle finally growled out, bringing the gears grinding in Sarah's head to a sudden halt. She shakily looked down at her wrist, her arm covered with faint streaks of red, thin rivulets of blood bubbling to the surface before streaming in a short line. It looked ghastly against the paleness of her skin.

"I feared you went mad there for a moment," Hoggle murmured.

Sarah only sniffed in response.

If she was being candid, truly, she did feel as if she were going mad.

The longer she spent in the Underground, the more detached she felt from reality, or at least, _her_ reality - the one where she had her family, Toby, her friends, her schoolwork…

"So what does this mean?" Sarah softly echoed her question from before. "And give me the truth, Hoggle. I can handle it," she gave a shaky smile, one that failed to inspire any confidence in Hoggle.

"Well, I, uhh…" Hoggle stammered, unsure of how to break anything to Sarah given her current state.

"Hoggle." Sarah's tone was pleading, small, broken.

And that was enough for Hoggle.

"He's marked you as one of his own, Sarah. That mark on your wrist is his doing. You offered yourself to him - _willingly or not_! -" Hoggle amended at Sarah's readiness to pounce at the accusation. "And it's all that stinkin' rat Jareth needs to claim a hold over you." Hoggle cringed at his own insult, vaguely wondering if said stinkin' rat was listening. A near miss with the bog of stench had been enough.

"Then how do I reverse it? How do I break this? Surely there's a way?" Sarah's insistence was heartbreaking and disarming all the same, the way her green eyes shimmered like emeralds, full of fragile hope.

"It's hard, Sarah...I mean...well," Hoggle scratched his head, unsure of what to say. Well, he wasn't exactly unsure of _what_ to say, more _how_ to say it. Because truthfully, Hoggle had little understanding of how the labyrinth and Jareth's powers truly worked. Existing his whole life in the Underground made Hoggle accept things with little care or thought, the way one could breathe without thinking. It simply just was.

And with Sarah standing before him, staring imploringly, utterly hopeful that there was some kind of solution, Hoggle found it difficult to communicate the truth. He always had.

But Hoggle didn't need to verbalize anything. Sarah could tell within seconds that he had nothing - no great epiphany, no simple fix, nothing.

"I'll find a way," her voice finally broke the silence, small but firm.

Hoggle stared at her incredulously. "How do you plan on doin' that? He's the Goblin King after all."

Sarah shook her head. "He may be the Goblin King, but he has no power over me. I did defeat his labyrinth once. And while I definitely got screwed over," she gave a sharp laugh, "I still _won_."

Hoggle had to wonder what "winning" meant for Sarah at this point.

Several moments of silence passed before Hoggle spoke up.

"There is...there is one thing I've heard of." At Sarah's hopeful look, Hoggle was quick to add, "it's a little more than a rumor! Myths, legends, dumb things gossips spread to scare each other."

"A rumor is more than I've got," Sarah rebutted.

Hoggle creased his brow. "There's rumors of a creature that's hidden in the shadows of the labyrinth, that can the predict the future of anyone who asks it. It's been called many things, but I always remembered it as a soothsayer. S'posedly it knows things about you that even you yourself may not. But it comes at a price of course."

_Naturally_ , Sarah thought. Everything came with a price here in the labyrinth.

"It's rubbish, Sarah. Things goblins will tell their children to scare them. No one actually believes in something like that!"

Sarah would've been inclined to agree with Hoggle, had he not been standing before her in the first place. Because truthfully, as much as Sarah had _wanted_ to believe in magic and the fantastical, a dwarf like Hoggle or a fae king like Jareth had long been outside the realm of possibility. But standing before her sprawled the labyrinth with all its unique inhabitants, and Sarah couldn't afford to believe that the soothsayer didn't exist.

"So, say it _were_ to exist...where might one find it? Where do the stories say to go?"

Despite not believing in these silly things, Hoggle gulped, for the place that it was said to exist was in fact real. The coward in him was begging him to lie, to say he didn't know, but he couldn't do wrong by her again.

"Stories always say he's in a dark forest, beneath the ground in a cavern-like space. When you really want to scare the little brats, you tell 'em he wears the bones of small goblin children, sacrificed by someone who wanted answers to the universe. But that's all embellishments of course," Hoggle waved a hand.

"And where exactly is this forest? The labyrinth is almost entirely one big forest," Sarah wailed, unable to keep the petulant edge off her voice.

"You'd know this forest," Hoggle's face darkened. "It's like a threshold exists an' when you pass through, it's as if the sun has been blown out. It's dark, Sarah. The trees completely block out all light. The few bugger fairies that end up there are as dim as can be."

"How far away are we from this forest? It's worth a look."

Hoggle gulped. Now he _really_ wanted to lie. Forget the supposed soothsayer skulking about in there, there were other creatures the labyrinth had lurking, waiting for unsuspecting passersby. Worst of all, the forest was a short trek from here, perhaps no more than an hour.

But one look at Sarah's imploring face and he knew he had to push down his fear.

"It's not too far, maybe an hour by foot."

Sarah pursed her lips, aware of how much time she was losing left and right, but this was more of a lead than anything else she'd gotten.

"Let's go, Hoggle!"

* * *

The trek had been easy enough, all things considered. Sarah was surprised by how much energy she felt she had despite setback after setback. Jareth had been trying to wear her down but she wouldn't give him that satisfaction of all things

Hoggle had been right about the forest. From the moment Sarah had set foot in, the entrance to the forest guarded by two gnarled trees for sentries, all light seemed to have vanished. Her senses felt dulled and with her vision compromised, every sound seemed louder and more ominous than usual.

The urge to retreat was consuming, but the idea of losing her soul and her fast-slipping sanity here was enough to push her forward.

"Sooo...do the stories ever say how it's summoned? Like, do I just chant it's name three times and clap?" Sarah arched a brow, not that Hoggle could really see.

"Oh, Sarah, I don't know! It's a farce after all. I told you, somethin' you tell children to scare them into listening!"

But that's what Sarah had thought the Goblin King had been, and now she knew damn well enough to know he was real and children had every reason to be afraid.

_Toby...Toby…_

Sarah kept chanting Toby's name in her mind, startled and fearful of how foreign his name was beginning to sound on her lips. The image of him seemed like a distant dream, as though she were driving through morning fog and his figure was too hazy to make out in the distance.

She clung to this soothsayer rumor like it was the last shot at a cure she had.

Even so, Sarah hadn't the faintest clue how to summon it. She had been joking with Hoggle when she asked about clapping her hands three times, but secretly, she was starting to wonder if that was the trick. Furthermore, where had the soothsayer been the first time she had run through the Underground? It would've been pretty damn helpful.

Then she would've had the foresight to not ever have bothered listening to Jareth and his dirty tricks.

Sarah examined the mark that couldn't be seen by her mortal eyes but was ever so present on her inner left wrist and idly mused what this meant. Hoggle had said she was marked as part of the labyrinth, but what did that even begin to entail? Did she belong to the labyrinth? Or to Jareth? A shudder went down her spine, partly out of fear, and much to her dismay, partly out of curious excitement...she couldn't forget the trill of pleasure she had felt when he kissed her, when his hands maneuvered her body expertly.

Shaking her head furiously, Sarah jammed the sleeve of her ruined jacket back down over her wrist, as though covering it meant it didn't exist.

"You said he belongs in a cave, deep under the earth, right?" Sarah asked.

Hoggle, jolted out of his own thoughts, nodded before realizing she couldn't really see in this darkness, and wasn't even facing him to begin with. "So they say." He gave a noncommittal shrug. "It's hard to say with these things...folklore an' all that."

Sarah had to bite back the urge to remind Hoggle that from where she came from, creatures like Hoggle were folklore too.

"Well, let's keep going til we see a cave," Sarah announced, as if it were the most obvious answer. She couldn't bother feeling unsure of herself at this point - there was simply not much else she could do besides forge onwards.

_Toby, Toby, Toby_...her mind chanted, as though uttering his name could keep the darkness at bay, the monsters hiding in the woods leashed.

"Sarah, this is madness…" Hoggle trailed off. "You don't even know what kind of danger waits! These woods are nothing to play at, you thick headed girl!"

Sarah whirled around, eyes flashing. "Well, Hoggle, I can't say I'm doing too well presently!" She extended her arms, waving them as if to emphasize how thoroughly unsafe she was by virtue of being in the Underground at all. "And I'm so tired of everyone taking it upon themselves to let me know how stupid I am all the time," she ground out.

Hoggle stood frozen, uncertain of what to say. At this point, it was evident Sarah was at the end of her rope, and speaking further could only enrage her further.

Hearing nothing in response, Sarah sighed, dropping her arms.

"I'm sorry, Hoggle. That wasn't fair to you."

Hoggle shrugged. "I'd say you're keepin' it together, all things considered…"

Sarah gave a huff of weak laughter before turning around to trudge forward. The darkness was oppressive, that much Hoggle had been right about. It spread out upon the woods like a heavy blanket, choking the light out of anything that had once touched the surface beneath the canopy of leaves. If Sarah thought too hard about it, her own throat seemed to close up, as though gasping for air that was slowly leaving her body.

A sudden spark of light caught her eye, off to the left. It wasn't bright by any means, but here, in these woods trapped in eternal night, it was as much of a beacon as one a lighthouse would send for ships making their way back to port. And Sarah desperately felt like a captain out at sea, tossed about by violent waves, searching for something, anything to guide her safely to the shore.

"Hoggle, look!" She breathed softly, watching as the small bauble of light moved in flickering bobs.

Hoggle saw the faint outline of Sarah pointing to the left, catching the trace of light shining dimly. His eyes widened before running up to Sarah, snatching the sleeve of her jacket.

"Don't pay 'em any mind, Sarah! It's those blasted fairies, playin' their tricks."

Sarah arched a brow at Hoggle before returning her gaze to the light that was gradually drifting further away. "Are you sure? I mean, the light could certainly improve our current situation here…" Sarah trailed off. For some reason, she felt mesmerized by the light - fairy - and she found herself wanting to follow.

Hoggle jerked on her arm impatiently. "Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be? I've dealt with those nasty lil' creatures thousands of times! All they do is cause trouble and you end up worse off than you were before!"

But Sarah had shrugged Hoggle off as though he hadn't even spoken.

"Look, Hoggle…" she whispered, voice dreamlike and soft, "there's more!"

Hoggle looked ahead and cursed under his breath. Of course this would happen with their luck. And Sarah, intelligent as she was, was blindly following the stupid pranksters. How Hoggle hated the tiny winged menaces.

Hoggle attempted to follow after Sarah, grabbing for the hem of her jacket, but Sarah had picked up into an all out run, trailing after the fairies that had appeared to multiply in numbers and sped up their journey towards somewhere most unfortunate, Hoggle could only guess. He caught the impish smirk of a tiny fairy flitting by, almost as if to say " _Gotcha!_ " and Hoggle only cursed more.

Sarah was a beloved friend, but Hoggle was suddenly reminded of how much trouble she caused him!

Despite his best efforts, Hoggle couldn't keep up with Sarah. He bent down, hands on his knees, out of breath and out of patience. He couldn't believe he had lost her! And now, she was heading deeper into these woods, all alone and no wherewithal to protect herself, so lost in the fairies' trance as she was.

And for that matter, Hoggle realized with belated exasperation, so was he.

* * *

Sarah ran like her life depended on it. Her brain felt sluggish, like a gauzy veil had suddenly come to drape across it, shielding her from the world beyond. But the mantra that was Toby's name had suddenly been replaced with only thoughts of pursuing the dancing lights. She couldn't be certain, but at times she thought she heard tinkling bells of laughter interlaced with the thrum of her heartbeat sounding in her ears.

Surely she was going insane. Surely.

But it was as if everything else had fallen away and this was all she could dwell on. She _had_ to follow them. Her body and mind were running on autopilot.

_Follow the lights, follow the lights, follow the lights_

Sarah felt exhausted but there was this sense that if she didn't follow, she'd be missing out on something important. Something that could help get her closer to the solution and out of this nightmare.

She was vaguely aware of Hoggle being left behind but her thoughts didn't allow her to linger. All she could register were the lights in front of her. They had to be leading her somewhere important, right?

It didn't matter, because in that moment, Sarah was suddenly snapped out of her trance as the lights coalesced around her, fluttering in frantic movements around her face, her hair, her hands.

Broken from the trance, Sarah flailed her arms around helplessly, swatting at the fairies that suddenly appeared intent on harassing her. At one point, Sarah gave a small shriek, mostly out of surprise rather than pain, when she felt a tiny pinch on her cheek. Her hair was being yanked and tugged every which way and Sarah let out a grunt of frustration.

"Would you _quit it_?!" She snarled.

In the crazed dance of desperation Sarah had been doing to get away from the vicious little monsters, she realized with slow bemusement that she had misstepped and began to tumble down.

It seemed that all Sarah was good at doing in the labyrinth this time around was stumbling and falling on her ass.

Except this time was much worse, and Sarah felt her body pick up speed, falling down an incline with more force than she could handle. Her body seemed to instinctively bump against every root, every rock, and she could taste dirt on her lips.

Somehow, with reflexes she didn't know she possessed, Sarah managed to angle her body and right herself before her head had nearly been beaned by a fallen tree trunk.

For a long moment, Sarah lay there on the cold forest floor, sealed in darkness. Her mind, as crazily as it buzzed while following the fairies, had gone strangely silent. In fact, the whole forest around her seemed to have gone still, and she was reminded of when Jareth had first pulled her into that realm between their worlds.

The fairies had seemingly vanished, uncaring of what happened to their latest victim. Sarah slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. This looked nothing at all like the labyrinth she had known the first time around. It seemed as if the changes in her own life had mirrored her here, terrors that she would've found childish from her first trek through the labyrinth morphing into something wholly unsettling.

Looking straight ahead, she found herself staring at the mouth of a dark cave. Had it been there this whole time? Sarah shook her head, wondering if she had hit it hard enough after all, or if the labyrinth was up to its tricks again.

( _Quite often, young lady…_

_...it seems like we're not getting anywhere, when in fact, we are_ )

Rising to her feet hesitantly, Sarah faced the gaping maw of the cave, apprehension pricking her nerves. A shiver ran down her spine. Somehow, she instinctively knew this was the place she needed to be.

Leaves crunched under her shoes as she approached the entrance, dimly aware that it was so dark she would never be able to see. But that wasn't about to stop her. The fairies may have been attempting to ruin her day - _maybe even kill me_ , Sarah bitterly thought - but they had inadvertently brought her exactly where she needed to be. Sarah couldn't explain why she felt so strongly about this being where the soothsayer dwelled, but then again, how could anyone explain the labyrinth? The Underground?

Even if it wasn't a soothsayer dwelling here, Sarah had the sense that something ancient dwelled inside this cave, perhaps slumbering, with nothing but time to spend.

Sarah gulped, taking ginger steps then confident ones. She squared her shoulders back and lifted her chin up, deciding that she had nothing to fear at this point.

Keeping her right hand against the wall of the cave, Sarah delved further in, her eyes surprisingly adjusting more quickly to the darkness than she thought they would.

It was eerily quiet, and Sarah felt keenly aware of every sound she made, so much so that she thought she could even hear the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She knew it was stupid to wander off on her own like this, and she hadn't meant to leave Hoggle behind, but turning back at this point didn't seem like much of a choice. She couldn't even make heads or tails of where she had landed after the unfortunate tumble.

As she traversed the rocky dirt terrain, she had the sense that she was slowly descending. Sarah was beginning to feel overwhelmingly hot and cold at the same time. The smell assaulting her nostrils was old and musty, and it vaguely reminded her of the scent of death. Sarah had only remembered losing her grandmother when she was twelve, and while it hadn't been too traumatic, all things considered, the sight of her grandmother's body lying in the open casket had been visceral for her. And now, nine years later, this scent brought the memory to the forefront of her mind.

Nevertheless, she had to keep moving.

It had occurred to her a while back, whether subconsciously or not, that the nature of the game had changed drastically between now and the last time. The stakes felt higher, the cost heavier.

_Toby_...her mind whispered, and the name felt foreign on her lips, as though she were trying to wrap her tongue around syllables she didn't even know existed.

Sarah gritted her teeth, determined to not let the labyrinth, or Jareth, get the best of her. They would never take Toby away from her.

And Sarah had decided sooner than she realized, that even if the cost was her own freedom, her soul, she would give it all up in a heartbeat for him.

With little preamble, Sarah discovered the ground had evened out once more. A small beam of light weakly descended from a hole so far up in the ceiling of the cave that Sarah could barely discern if it was actually there or not.

"Hello?" Sarah called out, suddenly unsure of what she was supposed to be looking for. She had kind of been hoping a clearer sign would jump out at her.

No response.

Sarah hesitantly pulled away from the side of the cave, walking in a slow perimeter around the spot the light created. Dust motes drifted lazily before her, but nothing else leapt out to make her think another presence was around.

"I want to see the soothsayer," Sarah announced, trying to sound more confident and sure of herself than she felt. "It's about the Goblin King."

It was then that a hissing noise brushed against the shell of her ear, and Sarah whirled around, cursing when she saw nothing. More hissing noises began to sound from all around, and Sarah couldn't discern where it was originating from anymore.

"Who's there?!" She yelled, eyes frantically searching for something she couldn't see but certainly heard and felt. Instead, the whispers strengthened in their presence, before Sarah heard a scrabbling noise.

Shaking, Sarah's gaze whipped to the ground, and as they passed the light, she caught sight of old bones rolling across the earthen floor, haphazardly running into each other before slowly building a hunched over form. Sarah's eyes widened in horror, frightened of what she was seeing.

A grotesque skeleton stared back at her, the eye sockets hollow and pitch black. But Sarah _knew_ it was looking at her. It was impossible to ignore the sensation of being seen, stripped bare, down to her thoughts, dreams, desires…

Snapping her mouth shut that had slowly gaped open out of shock, Sarah took a small step forward.

"You...are you…" She stammered, painfully aware that her speech capabilities had up and vanished.

The creature's bones clacked together in a cacophony of noise, and Sarah faintly realized it was laughing at her.

"How _rare_ ," it hissed, jaw bones barely moving. "A human, stumbled into our midst…"

Sarah felt the lump in her throat.

"And what knowledge do you seek?" It gave a wheezy laugh. "Do you wish to escape the labyrinth?"

Sarah paused, mouth opening before closing hesitantly. Her dealings with Jareth had told her that she needed to tread carefully.

( _Say your right words…_

_...and you will be free!_ )

Sarah pursed her lips.

Asking how to solve the labyrinth once and for all was tempting. But solving the labyrinth didn't mean she would be absolved of all debts. Knowing Jareth, he had another devil in the details waiting for her. She considered the possibility of asking how Jareth could have power over her, or what he would do to her at the end of this, whether she solved the labyrinth or not. Glancing at her left wrist, she thought about even asking how Jareth could claim her. Or what claiming her meant for the future.

But none of these questions rang true as the most important.

Somehow, Sarah figured she didn't really get more than one question. And she didn't even know the price. Because surely there was a price. Could she pay it? Would she even be willing?

Sarah closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, firmly rooting her feet to the ground.

When she opened them, she stared straight at the face of the skeletal figure.

"You have a price, that much I can be sure of. Name it."

The skeleton laughed. "Your confidence is enchanting."

Sarah remained silent.

The skeleton rattled, as though exhaling a soft breath. What air it even needed to breathe, Sarah was unsure of.

"You must give me something that once given, cannot be returned or stolen back. Seeking answers means sacrifice." Its tone had shifted to something serious.

Sarah bit her lip, trying to think about what she could give to fulfill the price. Returned or stolen back? Of course this was a trick, it always was, but Sarah needed to play her cards right.

The soothsayer waited patiently, bones barely clacking together, as though it were truly scrutinizing Sarah for the first time. It weirded her out, what with those empty sockets piercing right through her...she had the vague feeling it was seeing beyond just what was physically present.

Suddenly, Sarah had an idea.

It was stupid, perhaps even reckless, but what part of this trip in the Underground hadn't been? She had been through hell and back and was still finding herself in a bigger mess than ever...so what was one more? Especially if it meant outsmarting the Goblin King. Whether that was possible or not, Sarah wasn't going to dwell on for long.

"The question I ask...if I ask it correctly, you will have your price. If I don't, they're words that I can't take back. You can have my words and all they entail," Sarah pressed her lips into a firm line, mostly to stop from quivering.

The skeleton lifted its bony neck slightly upwards, craning in what was a morbid display of curiosity.

"How odd."

Sarah raised a brow in question.

"I suppose," it paused to wheeze. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Sarah Williams, a champion of the labyrinth, has caught up with tricks and glimmers."

Sarah gave a grim smile. "It would've been shameful otherwise, soothsayer."

The soothsayer's jaw unhinged up and down, as though gleefully laughing at a shared joke between them. "I see why the Goblin King has claimed you."

Sarah nearly asked what he meant by that before recalling that the next question she asked was a price she paid. She wasn't banking on making a mistake, but it was best to at least _try_ not to screw herself over. For once.

But the word "claim" made her tense. It wasn't that it was shocking Jareth would go to such lengths, but what had he done, exactly, that made it apparent to every other being in the labyrinth that she was marked by him? She absentmindedly touched her inner left wrist, sensing a soft thrum move through her blood.

"Tell me...how do I take away the Goblin King's power?"

The soothsayer remained silent for several moments. Sarah felt a pit growing in her stomach, wondering if she had just signed away her life. What if the question was wrong? What if there was some trick she had missed? Toby would have no hope, and Sarah would for sure be done. The thought of her sweet baby brother turning into a ghastly creature, devoid of any real intelligence and emotion was enough to send Sarah spiraling. Especially knowing it would be due to her foolishness.

Finally, after what seemed like agonizing hours, the soothsayer replied.

"You already know the answer to the question."

Sarah blinked, taken aback.

What?

How the hell was that even possible? She clearly didn't know the answer, otherwise she wouldn't be asking!

_MOTHERFU-_

Sarah quickly breathed in, attempting to regulate the string of curses ready to erupt.

"That's not possible," she bit out sharply. "If I knew the answer, I wouldn't ask."

The soothsayer gave what Sarah could only discern was a shrug.

"You have asked, and you have received. You gave me your words, and unfortunately for you, or perhaps fortunately -" here, the creature paused to laugh, "the cost is your disappointment."

Sarah felt the words tumble out before she could even catch herself.

"That's not fair!"

( _What's said is said…_ )

The soothsayer, who had seemed to take this all in as one big joke, abruptly seemed to switch gears. Sarah was painfully aware of the sudden realization that she was dealing with something ancient, something primordial. The aura in the cave had gone from somewhat uncomfortable and eerie to dark and empty.

"The price was paid. Overstay your welcome, and you will suffer consequences." The voice coming from the soothsayer had shifted, from cackling and mischievous to grave, devoid of any emotion.

Sarah opened her mouth, desperate to argue, but felt a rumble beneath her feet.

Loose pebbles vibrated around her shoes, frantically scattering across the earth. Sarah whipped her head upwards and saw debris slowly falling from the ceiling.

"I suggest you leave," the soothsayer remarked casually. "Though these bones would so love the company."

Sarah heard the cackling ringing in her ears as she ran back the way she had come, rocks and dirt sealing the cave back up, as though it had never existed.

* * *

It was dark, dank, and cold here in this cave. The soothsayer didn't mind too often these days. It had been so long since it had had its humanity. The darkness was a welcome friend.

But the Goblin King's presence could not be suppressed by the cave alone.

"You've been playing fast and loose with the rules, Goblin King." The soothsayer gave a soft,wheezing huff of laughter, not bothering to turn around.

The Goblin King stepped out of the shadows, prowling around the huddled frame of the soothsayer. He had seen Sarah's little jaunt to the cave below the Underground. Of course he had. There was nowhere she could go without him knowing.

The mark on her wrist had ensured that much.

"Are you suggesting something, soothsayer?" He murmured, eyes glinting with predatory sharpness.

The soothsayer merely chuffed. "You may rule the labyrinth, Goblin King, but even you are capable of overstepping your bounds."

"And you would happen to be so knowledgeable about such things. Need I remind you about what led to your sad state?"

If Jareth's words were meant to cut, the soothsayer gave no indication of the intended effect. "Let me be a lesson for what happens when one stops at nothing to get what is desired. I made myself my own prisoner." The soothsayer paused, as if considering its next words. "Was it wise to bind her to you? After all, she already knows how to ruin you, even if she hasn't realized it yet."

"One would think you'd have all the answers," Jareth gave a soft smirk, shoulders relaxing a fraction. "But in any case, hardly. She's sharp, I can give her that much, but she has no knowledge of the way magic works. Her only successes thus far have been sheer strokes of luck."

The soothsayer said nothing in return. It didn't often like to get itself involved in the affairs of those outside of its domain.

Jareth stared up at the faint halo of light above them, lost in thought.

"One day, Goblin King, you will realize that even you are not above being humbled."

"And I suppose this is knowledge you possess?"

"One would think," the soothsayer replied dryly.

Jareth gave a feral grin in response.

"I do love a good challenge."


	8. Kismet

Sarah didn't know how long she had run for. Once her legs had begun pumping, she didn't dare slow down. Something told her that what had just happened was a stroke of luck, her mere continued existence being proof of such.

As she slowed down, far from where the mouth of the cave had once stood like a silent sentinel, Sarah panted, resting her hands on her knees, fighting to catch her breath. Sweat dripped down her face despite the chilly air of the labyrinth, and she angrily shrugged off her jacket.

" _STUPID_!" She shrieked, uncaring of who heard her meltdown.

" _IDIOT_!"

" _ASSHOLE!_ " She threw her head back and stomped her foot, wishing she could face the Goblin King here and now and claw his face to shreds. She had lost so much time and that visit with the soothsayer had been a complete waste. What a joke!

Sarah suddenly stopped her internal tirade at the sound of a soft coo.

Glancing up, already knowing what she would see, Sarah's expression darkened.

A barn owl softly hooted, ruffling its feathers and shaking its head. Its beak opened and closed wordlessly, as though it was trying to speak to her.

Never breaking eye contact with it, Sarah slowly knelt down, fingers groping for a loose rock. Succeeding in finding one, Sarah fingered the rough surface, hefting it in her right hand before winding her arm back and pelting it for all she was worth at the feathery visitor.

The owl hooted sharply, flapping its wings, and Sarah realized it was mocking her, for the rock had barely reached the lowest hanging branch of the tree.

"Well, _fuck you_ _too_!" Sarah screeched.

The barn owl merely blinked, snapping its beak softly before propelling off into the air, weaving between tree branches before disappearing entirely.

Sarah stared off, the anger slowly ebbing away, leaving her with the vague sensation of having looked like an idiot. Whether that owl had been Jareth spying on her or not, it didn't change the fact that she was lost and no better off than she had been at the beginning of her journey.

As she began to walk around again, intermittently calling Hoggle's name, Sarah mulled over the soothsayer's words. She somehow had the answer? It had said this after acknowledging the Goblin King's claim to her...whatever that implied. It was odd to think that she supposedly had everything she needed to declare victory, because quite frankly, she was beginning to doubt she had any chance left in hell to win this game that didn't really feel like one anymore.

Much to Sarah's dismay, she began to dwell on the Goblin King himself. It was hard, she realized with distaste for herself, to ignore the curiosity and trill of excitement she felt around him. She knew it was pointless, because there was no reality in which she could tolerate the things he'd done to both her and Toby and still daydream about him, but in those moments when he had kissed her like it was the most natural thing in the world to do, her heart had betrayed her, even if only for a few seconds.

And that scared her.

Sarah had kept her heart guarded and her cards close to her chest. The love that she gave freely was reserved for her parents, friends, and above all, Toby. She had no doubt that her first journey through the labyrinth had strengthened her love for him into something unbreakable. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of that experience.

But the way she had been living her life...well, it was just like going through the motions.

She wanted normalcy - craved it - but a small part of her still had that childlike wonder that she had always found difficult to stifle. The jaunt through the Underground the first time had certainly done a large part in tamping it down, but the Goblin King's words had forced her to acknowledge more closely what _her_ dreams actually were.

She didn't know that she had any, but the thought of giving it all up to Jareth before even getting a chance to walk out the gate felt miserable.

" _SARAH_!"

Jolted, Sarah glanced up. She could hear Hoggle's voice calling her name in the near distance. With a surge of relief, Sarah called his name in turn.

Eventually, through a challenging game of Marco Polo, they rejoined paths, where Hoggle instantly jumped to admonishing her for following the fairies like a dumb little goblin child.

Sarah supposed she deserved it.

"It wasn't completely in vain…" Sarah trailed off, mood souring when she remembered that the soothsayer hadn't really told her much. "I did run into the soothsayer. It's real," she finished softly.

Hoggle looked taken aback, terror in his eyes.

"So it's true? The thing's not just some story made up by good-for-nothin' goblins?"

Sarah shrugged, acting awfully nonchalant for someone who had nearly been crushed to death by rocks and dirt.

"And…?" Hoggle waited, bemused by Sarah's sudden reticence to talk. She was always chattering, whether you listened or not, so to see her holding back was suspicious.

"I asked it how to take away the Goblin King's power." She gave a humorless laugh. "Apparently I already know how. Which is stupid," Sarah added, "because I have nothing. I'm completely at a loss here, Hoggle. And we have what? Five hours left? Does that even matter?" She flicked angrily at her wristwatch, as though somehow blaming it for everything that had gone wrong.

Hoggle stared at Sarah, eyes drifting to where he sensed the mark, saw it glimmer.

And then he remembered the way the Goblin King tortured and teased him.

( _You don't think a young girl could like a repulsive, little scab like you, do you…_ )

Those words, if Hoggle thought hard enough, still stung.

But they also revealed something telling, something that was becoming more evident as things came together.

The Goblin King was not as secure as he had initially appeared.

Oh, he could preen and condescend and mock all he wanted, but Hoggle knew with sudden clarity that Jareth was, above all else, afraid of losing control.

And Sarah Williams, his sweet, mortal friend, was like a cannonball aiming straight for Jareth's ego.

"But what if you did have the answer, Sarah?" Hoggle asked, almost afraid of sending Sarah's mood into a full on tempest. "I mean, the soothsayer, if it has in fact been real this whole time...well, I don't think it would lie to you?" He ended on a question, somewhat regretting everything tumbling out of his mouth at the moment.

Sarah's gaze turned sharp, almost accusatory.

"Is everyone here in the labyrinth suggesting I'm just flat out stupid now? Because that's what it's beginning to sound like!" Sarah snapped, feeling petulant.

Hoggle gave an exasperated groan in response, finding his tolerance for Sarah's bratty attitude diminished.

"I'm not tryin' to say you're stupid, Sarah!" Hoggle ground out, and sensing the edge in his tone, Sarah backed down with quiet disgruntlement.

"Well, suppose it is telling the truth...I don't even know where to start, Hoggle. I'm beginning to think I've been set on the path to failure before I ever had the chance to start." And it pained Sarah to realize that her fifteen year old self may have completely damned her future, all in the name of ignorance. She had made a deal without ever fully understanding the terms. How could she have?

Hoggle remained silent, afraid to open his mouth. Because truthfully, he had the same sentiment. He didn't truly understand what it meant to be marked by the mercurial ruler, but he figured it couldn't have been anything _good_. And again, his entire existence having been in the Underground, he had little understanding of how his world impacted someone like Sarah, a being from the Aboveground.

And well, Jareth had always been a nasty old snake, more acutely aware of the laws of their world and all the more capable of twisting them to his own needs.

Sarah was a worthy opponent, but again, Hoggle couldn't help but think she was out of her depth. And well, Hoggle was a coward, that much he could readily admit. Were it not for the charismatic pull of Sarah's smile and persuasive personality, he would've considered this a problem that didn't concern him.

"I suppose we have nothing to do but move forward," Sarah eventually stated, breaking Hoggle out of his reverie.

Hoggle felt dread crawl up and down his spine, as if the gnarled branches from the forest trees had mercilessly caught him in their snare.

The last time he had ventured to the Goblin City was still too fresh in his mind, and he could've readily gone without ever seeing it again. He was content to live his quiet life outside the city walls.

"Are...are you sure?"

Sarah quirked a brow, a small smirk touching her lips. "Scared, Hoggle?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed.

Sarah's smirk softened. "I know. Me too, if I'm being honest."

And it was true. Sarah was terrified. The stakes felt higher and it was obvious from the beginning that this was never really a game. Looking back, when she had first set off to complete the labyrinth as a teenager, it still felt mystical, like an adventuring rite of passage that the heroine of the story needed to go through.

But now?

Well now, it felt entirely personal. The Goblin King was back with a vengeance, and she knew, despite how much it pained her to admit this, that her solving the labyrinth had never been of consequence to him. He may have lost that battle, but it seemed he had never intended on losing the war.

A piteous thought floated through Sarah's mind, soft and lamenting.

_Why me? Why, why, why?_

Sarah banished the thought. It wouldn't help her.

And so it was that Sarah and Hoggle trudged through the labyrinth, attempting to find their way to the center, with Sarah realizing that they had miraculously been able to get back onto the right path. Or well, what she assumed was the right path. One could never tell.

Looking up ahead, the castle, its largest tower once a mere speck of a monolith in the distance, was starting to take form. Sarah's heart swelled with hope which was immediately swallowed up by unease.

It wasn't lost on Sarah that the castle had once seemed so far away not too long ago. And she was aware she had lost time. Lots of it. Instinctively, Sarah knew the Goblin King was behind the manipulations of her journey. She was sure of it. It was almost like he was leading her to him.

_It's a trap, it has to be_.

Sarah slowly turned to Hoggle, who had all but fallen silent, enough that she had almost forgotten he was there.

"Hoggle...something doesn't feel right."

"I didn't realize some part of this was supposed to feel otherwise," Hoggle groused, flicking away an errant bug from his face.

"No, Hoggle," Sarah scowled. "Look." Sarah gestured off in the near distance toward the spires of the castle beyond the Goblin City.

Hoggle's eyes widened considerably at this. "Huh...don't suppose that was by accident?"

Sarah shook her head. "Definitely not. He's up to something," she returned, mouth setting in a firm line.

Hoggle almost opened his mouth to suggest that _maybe_ they should turn back, call it a wash, but then thought better of it. Sarah was never one to back down from a challenge, whether she felt scared or not. Hoggle could've just as easily walked away, but with Sarah standing there so resolutely, it appeared he had no choice.

With wariness heavy in their steps, the pair continued their trek toward the Goblin City.

Soon enough, they stood outside the gates of the city. It was eerily quiet, not a soul present to greet them. Sarah had the sensation of being on a set, much like the ones she would work on during her summer jobs. It felt hollow, devoid of any life. In some ways, Sarah had to wonder if the Goblin King were mocking her.

It was a safe bet.

Regardless, Sarah wouldn't be cowed by anything the Goblin King threw her way. It was harder to make the same argument for Hoggle, who eyed every doorway with suspicion and fear.

"I'm getting the sense that nothing is here for us," Sarah whispered, though she guessed it was a pointless endeavor, as no one was around to eavesdrop. "He's toying with us, I'm almost positive."

Hoggle only snorted contemptuously in response but snatched the hem of Sarah's shirt all the same. Sarah only gave an amused grin in response to her friend's cowardice.

And so it was that they slowly found themselves winding through the haphazard streets of the Goblin City, without any of its namesake denizens in sight or any errant chickens clucking about aimlessly. Sarah suspected that if she and Hoggle were to open any of the doors to the little homes, no one would emerge.

The Goblin King was creating a direct path to the castle, inviting Sarah to join him in the belly of the beast.

As they approached the magnificent doors of the castle, Sarah turned to Hoggle, gently prying his knobby fingers from her shirt.

"Hoggle, maybe it's best we part ways from here." Her voice was firm but not unkind.

"What?! Why? You can't think I'd leave now!" Hoggle exclaimed, bewilderment coloring his tone. And he _was_ bewildered, not only due to Sarah cutting their time short, but also the fact that he had very much been given an out from this awful situation, and here he stood, refusing to take it. Perhaps Hoggle wasn't as much of a coward as he thought.

Sarah gave a soft huff of laughter, though the mirth didn't reach her eyes. "Well, if I have any clue as to how the Goblin King operates, then I'd say that it's best I face him alone. Just like last time. Besides, it's been too easy all of a sudden. We find the soothsayer with little to no trouble, get back on the main path closer to the Goblin City than ever before, all with little to no interventions or traps. Isn't that strange to you?"

Hoggle had to admit it was. The last time they had trekked together through the labyrinth, the list of obstacles they encountered had seemed endless. The Bog of Eternal Stench, the fieries, dealing with Sir Didymus and Ludo to boot...of course he should've known things were going pretty swimmingly, all things considered.

But he had to wonder, what if things should be different this time around? Maybe Sarah _needed_ the support of her friends. Why face the rotten bastard all on her own? Not that Hoggle had much faith in his abilities to do anything of consequence...but still.

"You shouldn't go off on your own!" Hoggle countered, voicing his thoughts aloud. "That's what happened last time, and I curse myself and the others for lettin' you do that."

"Oh, come on," Sarah admonished. "You know I chose to do that on my own. And I'd choose it again. The Goblin King has already threatened me and my brother...I can't afford to have you in trouble with him either," she finished, her tone deceptively light.

Hoggle searched Sarah's face, trying to determine if he should make the same mistake as last time. Because it _had_ been a mistake, he was almost certain of it.

And as he looked deep into her eyes, he saw what he recognized was fear.

Sarah was scared, truly scared, and it affected him profoundly. Perhaps because when he was around her, he had been able to draw strength from Sarah's unwavering bravery. Despite being a human so far out of her depth, Sarah had inspired him to face challenges head on. Even if the lesson didn't quite stick, it left an impression.

But now she looked so far removed from that memory he had of her.

What was it about her world that changed her so?

Belatedly, Hoggle realized Sarah was repeating his name.

" _Hoggle_?!"

"Oh! Right...right. Sarah, what if...what if you shouldn't go alone? Isn't that what he wants, after all?"

"You're probably right," Sarah admitted. "But like I said, this issue...it's between him and I. It seems it always has been."

Hoggle had to snort with irritation. There was Sarah's valiant attempt at being the heroine. What an odd complex she touted.

Sensing that Hoggle was about to protest, Sarah quickly aimed for a different approach. "I just want you to be safe, Hoggle. That's important to me. Very important," she stressed. "You've already been such a huge help to me," she added. "How could I have ever gotten this far without you? My first true friend in the labyrinth."

Hoggle felt a blush flush his face, and he had to once again curse Sarah's dazzling smile.

( _I have to face him alone…_

_...well, if that is the way it is done, then that is the way you must do it. But should you need us…_ )

"You know I'm here for you…" Hoggle finally stated rather lamely.

"Of course I do." Sarah stooped down to her knees and enveloped Hoggle in a hug. Hoggle, momentarily shocked, basked in the feeling of her embrace and tentatively wrapped his arms around her in response.

It was odd, Hoggle realized, to actually have a friend. An unlikely one, but a friend nonetheless. All his life he had looked out for himself and himself only. To have someone show him compassion regardless of his own selfish nature was an experience to say the least.

And now he felt at a loss, desperately wanting to repay the favor that was, for the second time, so freely given and unable to do anything about it.

Perhaps the only way to repay Sarah's generosity was to listen to her, to believe that she could handle the Goblin King on her own.

Hoggle found himself feverishly hoping that she would destroy Jareth, whatever the cost may be to the Underground. The last time she had been here, the labyrinth's defeat had been keenly felt by every denizen of the Underground, but it had easily righted itself. Besides, perhaps the Goblin King needed to be taken down a few pegs.

So with a heavy heart, Hoggle watched, rooted to his spot, as Sarah Williams approached the castle doors that seemed to open, instinctively accepting the guest they had been waiting for all along.

* * *

Stepping through the threshold of the castle doors was like stepping into a memory, one she had locked away in the far corners of her mind, the key having been thrown out almost immediately afterwards.

The opulence of the castle was stunning, and she absently admired the sheer magnificence of the space. The Goblin King certainly had a flair for the dramatics, and she had the intrusive thought of imagining him as a successful interior designer. Sarah had to snort with derision at the very idea. He could never belong in her world, and she wouldn't entertain it further.

As Sarah aimlessly trailed up one side of the grand, double bridal stairway, she felt like the castle was frozen in a moment of time, as though it had been eagerly awaiting to receive guests for a ball when the clock had stopped.

A sensation of nostalgia and melancholy washed over Sarah as her fingertips trailed over the banister. She was surprised by it, but then, the labyrinth seemed to hold an echo of a simpler time in Sarah's life, whether or not she knew it back then. It reminded her of childhood, summers spent running through the park, the sweet taste of peaches that now spilled bitter juices.

And if she dwelled on it long enough, she remembered the rustle of silks and sparkle of gemstones, stars woven in her hair, creating mini galaxies.

Really, in some ways, it had been a lifetime ago.

( _It's only forever, not long at all…_ )

It had all been fake, she had to remind herself of this fact.

Shaking away the thoughts, Sarah absently rubbed at her left wrist, feeling a gentle pulse. Brought to her senses, Sarah scowled and raised the affected wrist to the light, turning it this way and that. Much to her surprise, could've sworn she saw a brief glimmer. And this glimmering sparked an unbidden thought. Or perhaps it was a memory of a dream?

She vaguely recalled the feel of soft lips upon her wrist, right where the glimmer had caught her attention. The feel of those lips had electrified her, kept her rooted to her spot. Screwing her eyes shut, Sarah tried to pull more memories to the surface but found it was slipping from her fast, in a swirl of shimmering dust and white feathers.

With a sudden jolt, as though the ground had rocked beneath her feet, Sarah's eyes snapped open.

"No…" she whispered to herself. "No. No, no, _no_ ," she murmured with growing trepidation as she rubbed at her wrist for what felt like the thousandth time. She knew with every fiber of her being that the images that had just come to mind were not fabricated. She had been with Jareth, she had practically given herself to him without a second thought. That had to be the reason her wrist was throbbing the way it did.

Her mind couldn't stop replaying the way his lips feathered over the delicate skin of her wrist, the way it had made her shudder. And the way it had completely rendered her powerless to him.

This is what all the beings of the Underground seemed to be referencing. This mark. He had indeed left one, and Sarah had all but offered up herself on a silver platter. Never mind had it been done willingly or not. It never seemed to matter regarding the Goblin King.

Fury swelled in her chest, threatening to burst with a raw, animalistic scream.

She had been cheated from the beginning. She was _never_ going to win.

The only consolation, she decided, was that the second she laid eyes on him, she would tear him apart. She would draw blood and no, no she wouldn't stop there. She would destroy him. She would break every bone of his supernatural being and then she would put him back together just to do it all over again.

The viciousness of her thoughts would've terrified her on any other day, but Sarah Williams was not experiencing any other day.

She felt like she was swiftly heading toward hell, if she wasn't there already.

But no matter the course she was on, Sarah was dragging Jareth down with her.

Marching up the rest of the stairs, her anger fueling her like never before, Sarah marched through the halls of the castle like she was its rightful queen.

Sarah was drawn up short when she came across two large, open French doors, cream curtains silently billowing in the gentle breeze.

It should've surprised Sarah to see a twilit sky beyond the doors when the sun had just been out not moments before her arrival, but time was always an elusive thing here in the Underground.

Strangely, the rage that had guided Sarah to the castle had largely dissipated, seemingly having spent itself just by existing at all. A sense of resignation had taken its place and danced with another odd feeling...she couldn't exactly describe it, but the closest thing was déjà vu.

Her gaze slowly focused on the figure standing all the way at the edge of the balcony.

The Goblin King.

And he didn't even feel the need to turn around and face her. _Still as much of a bastard as ever_ , Sarah thought dryly.

As if hearing her thoughts, which Sarah wasn't entirely sure he couldn't do, the Goblin King slowly turned, cape and hair fluttering softly with the cool night air.

He stood before her, resplendent in hues of midnight blue and silver. The faint thrum of electricity alit Sarah, and her body thrummed. It was hard to deny that being around him was intoxicating...even if it spelled trouble.

"Well, and here I thought you were going to keep a host waiting," he smiled humorlessly.

"Fashionably late, I guess," Sarah returned with a hint of snark.

"Hm," The Goblin King arched a brow as he eyed her rather disheveled state. Sarah flushed, feeling suddenly self conscious at the state she was in. She knew she looked half-crazed and on the edge of madness, but it was only because he had driven her to that point. Unlike him, she didn't get to have an intermission in their play. She didn't get to look poised and regal, but she still held her head up with pride.

"How's Hogwash?" He asked airily, turning back to gaze at the sky, as though he had lost interest already.

"Hoggle," Sarah corrected. "His name is Hoggle."

All the Goblin King seemed able to muster was a shrug. It touched a nerve, not that Sarah would admit it.

"Why did you do it?"

The Goblin King finally turned back to her, confusion written on his face. Sarah felt her anger kindled again, deep in her belly and rising swiftly to her chest. How dare he act like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Does this ring a bell?" She whipped out her left wrist accusingly. "Why did you _mark_ me?" Sarah snarled.

When he failed to respond, Sarah moved in on him like a bloodhound. "Lost for words, Goblin King?"

( _Everything I've done, I've done for you…_

_...I move the stars for no one_ )

"What is it that one fellow from your world said, once upon a time? ' _There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy_ '? Was that it?" He grinned.

It was Sarah's turn to arch a brow. The Goblin King, quoting Shakespeare? Truly, the world was going mad.

"Well, in any case, that line is certainly correct. No matter how much you think you know and understand, my dear hellcat, it's all insignificant." Sarah remained quiet, waiting to see where would lead her. "You could never grasp what I'm offering you, what I've _been_ offering you."

"You've offered me nothing, Jareth…" Sarah whispered.

"Back on a first name basis, Sarah?" Jareth taunted.

Sarah easily batted away his attempt to throw her off course. "Everything you've ever offered to me has come with a price. Toby's life... _my_ life."

Jareth laughed. "Well, contrary to popular belief, the best things in life aren't exactly free, now are they?" A beat of silence passed between them, Sarah unwilling to reply. She was rewarded for her efforts. "It was my mistake, I suppose, to trust that you could comprehend what I was trying to offer. To know an immortal is to know madness, isn't it? Your pithy notions of love pale in comparison to what you could've had here in the Underground." And the unspoken words seem to whisper _and with me_.

"What are you saying?" Sarah breathed out.

_Love_? Why on earth was he talking about love? This wasn't love, far from it. He couldn't possibly be insinuating that of all things. Sarah could feel a laugh bubbling to the surface, half hysterical.

Jareth made a small tutting sound, as though he had gone over this lesson a thousand times and his pupil was far from a quick study.

"No, no...I suppose I'll have to try something different, won't I?"

Sarah felt apprehension wash over her. Something didn't feel right.

The roar of her heartbeat filled her ears, everything else around her sounding distorted. Her balance felt off, and she couldn't tell if she was processing too slowly or too quickly. And then, the world began to tilt, her left wrist throbbing with a vengeance.

The Goblin King's powerful form seemed to begin falling sideways, or perhaps it was her.

The twilight sky filled her vision, the stars suddenly sparkling with fervor, white hot and shimmering. Sarah's throat was closing up, and she felt like she needed to pull in air before her lungs spasmed and seized entirely. Her hands were clammy and trembling, unable to hold still.

Was this a panic attack?

The last thing she recalled was her body crumpling, the Goblin King swiftly striding over to catch her in his arms.

Sarah's vision was blurring until she registered nothing but the hazy purples and blues of the sky above them. She had the faraway thought that in another time, this would've been beautiful.

Was this what it felt like to die? This detached sensation of noticing everything but feeling nothing? Feeling weightless?

Softly, in her ear, Sarah heard whispered words from the Goblin King as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

"Let's try this again, shall we?"


End file.
